A Fate Unseen: Legacy of the Jedi-Side B
by An Origami Fish
Summary: As the galaxy once again burns from the flames of war, no one is left untouched. Families are scattered, relationships destroyed, and character tested. Sacrifice comes in many shapes and forms, and the next generation of young heroes will learn what it will take to bring balance to the Force once and for all. Part 2B in the Fate Unseen Trilogy.
1. Chapter 1

_**Legacy of the Jedi: Side B**_

 _Challenge and diversity make us strong. Too much protection can prevent us from learning, from reaching our potential. We can learn from others, but we must also learn from our own experiences…and our own mistakes._ _It is your destiny to train and become Jedi Knights and use the Force when necessary to maintain peace in our galaxy._

-Luke Skywalker, Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order

 **LotJB[ I ]LotJB**

Kani Asari knew her best friend was in trouble, knew that being several days late to pick her up for what was hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime event was unwise in the extreme. After all, it wasn't every day Coruscant had a grand reopening. She exhaled and tried to keep her mind clear as her lithe form moved through the Form Five katas, saber weaving an intricate pattern through the air mimicking the deflection of a multitude of blaster-bolts. A bead of sweat rolled off a strand of golden-blonde hair, and she whipped around, her lightsaber evaporating the perspiration in a single sweep. Clenching her fist around her lightsaber, she struggled to maintain control of the rising annoyance she was feeling, deliberately letting her dunderheaded best friend know through their bond that standing her up for such an important event was hazardous to his health. Of course, the others in the room weren't exactly helping her mood either.

"Face it, Kani, he is _so_ your boyfriend," Melodie Jedi Apprentice Cappricia giggled.

"We're not like that," a red-faced Kani Asari defended herself, batting aside a flurry of imaginary blaster-bolts with a bit more vigor than was needed. She grimaced, _so much for calm and focus_. "He's just my friend, my best friend."

"That's how it always starts off in games," Pantoran Jedi gamer Loli said distractedly, button mashing her controller to take out a giant K'lor-slug. "Come on! You can do it! You almost had this thing last time! He's down to half health, you can do it!"

"Yeah, well this is real life," Kani retorted, continuing with her lightsaber kata. "Even if I _was_ interested in him that way, and I'm not, I'd just be making our friendship even more complicated. I'm perfectly happy with the way things are now. Well, not exactly happy. Our fearless leader better have a good reason for being several days late. The ceremonies start today."

"Thought you didn't like the media spotlight and all," Cappricia asked. She was sitting at a table cataloguing memory crystals from the archives. On the same table was a dish of silvery fish her people loved to snack on; a direct import from Yavin Eight obtained during a small adventure a few months earlier.

"She just wants to spend time with her boyfriend," Loli explained unhelpfully. "He is definitely losing a lot of relationship points with her for being late."

"Argh, you two!"

"Kani!" The voice of fifteen-year old Jesmin Sarkin-Tainer called out from another room. "Your boyfriend's on the comm!"

Kani groaned. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Should I tell him you're busy?"

"You girls need to find something else to busy yourself with," Kani muttered, shaking her head. "I'll be right there."

"Hey, with most every Master and Knight going to the re-opening of the Coruscant Senate building, we had to pick _something_ to amuse ourselves with," Cappricia chirped. "Besides, you're lucky enough that Ben is taking you to the ceremony with his family. Let us have our fun while you're still here."

"He better be calling to explain why the _Falcon_ is several days overdue," Kani sighed.

"It's an old ship, probably didn't get the right upgrades for it," Loli chirped, then pumped her fist as her character performed a finishing move. "Yes! Take that! Kill my Jedi Sentinel seven times and _that_ ' _s_ what you get!"

Kani just smiled and shook her head, leaving the others to their various activities. Passing Jesmin in the hallway, she smiled. "Thanks , Jes."

"Not a problem," Jesmin grinned.

Taking the turbolift to the communication hub high in one of the many archways that spired over the Praxeum, Kani took a brief moment to look at her reflection in the mirrored window of the lift. Her seventeen year old image stared back at her. A hand absently went up to rub the sun-shaped Kasha pendant attached to the leather cord necklace Ben had given her for her birthday that year; thumb tracing over the ancient inscriptions carved into the crystal. As she did, she made a few minor adjustments to her hair and robes and released a breath, absently letting the Force course through her. Letting her hands fall to her side, she gave herself one last look over. She was perfectly happy being Ben Skywalker's best friend, perfectly…

The turbolift doors opened and Kani made the short trip to the alcove. Hitting a button, she couldn't help but grin inwardly as Ben Skywalker appeared in holo-form. Outwardly, though, she decided to have some fun at his expense.

"Is it usually your habit to stand me up?" Kani asked with an arched eyebrow, folding her arms in front of her. "Three days late is a new record."

" _I know, I know_ ," Ben groaned. " _I'm really sorry about this. But when Uncle Han stopped by that last refueling station, the techs put the wrong fuel into the Falcon and blew out most of the sublight-drive. We've been stuck in the middle of nowhere since then. The YT-1300 isn't exactly a modern ship these days, especially with all the modifications Uncle Han made to this one_."

"So your excuse for not picking me up for those ceremonies on Coruscant is that your ship ran out of gas?" Kani continued with an impassive face. She couldn't keep up the charade though and her mouth cracked into a wry grin. "Isn't that supposed to happen _after_ you pick me up?"

Ben rolled his eyes. " _You know how plans with my family go. Uncle Han said he should have repairs done by today so we shouldn't be too much longer_."

"You know about how plans go with your family," Kani reminded.

" _Yeah_ ," Ben chuckled. " _Make sure to pass the word on to my brother will you? Tell him we're running late_."

"I don't think he minds," Kani laughed. "He's on the Mim Lunar Low-Gravity training facility right now. I think he went there to get away from his hordes of admirers."

" _Why do I get the feeling there's a story behind this_ ," Ben groaned.

"Ryza Durron and Jesmin Sarkin-Tainer, I'll leave it at that," Kani drawled. "Janek's quite the charmer you know. Only problem is that he's charmed two at one time and both don't like to share."

Ben shook his head with a rueful grin. " _No, I don't know. And I don't want to know either. Have I ever thanked you for keeping away the hordes of my admirers?_ "

"I make sure you do," Kani smirked. He always made her feel light-hearted and relaxed. _Just friends…_

" _Anyways, how is everything else back on Ossus_?"

"Quiet, dull," Kani replied dryly. "With only Master K'Kruhk and Tionne here all the lessons have been canceled and everyone's taking advantage of it. Why did Chief of State Hamner have to declare today a galactic holiday again?"

" _So he could have the biggest possible audience for this reopening_ ," Ben sighed in agreement. " _My dad and mom have to attend to show Jedi support for this monumental occasion. Even when Hamner already has dozens of Knights and Masters from each of the Praxeums attending. I might not like the guy, but you have to admit he's done a swell job of patching up the galaxy_."

"Maybe your family should take a page out of your cousin's book."

" _Oh, Anakin_?"

"Yeah. Didn't he tell Hamner that the galaxy needs more than symbols to stay united?"

" _Problem is, the Jedi Order doesn't want dad to step down from the position of Grandmaster. They saw what happened the last time dad stayed out of things and are afraid of straying if he steps aside_."

"That's stupid." Kani said bluntly.

" _Yeah, but we can't do a thing about…_." Ben's hologram flickered severely, the sound cutting off.

"Ben?" Kani frowned, looking at the settings of the holo-comm. "Ben?'

Ben made a gesture, but then his hologram winked out completely.

A sense of foreboding filled Kani, the Force warning her that something big was about to happen. Leaving the comm-station, she took the lift back down to the ground floor and stepped out into the courtyard where Tionne was entertaining some of the younger students.

"Apprentice Asari," Tionne smiled. "What brings you out here?"

"Master, I'm sensing…"Kani just shook her head, not sure what it was she was feeling.

"Trust in your instincts, Kani," Tionne instructed gently. "What is it you feel?"

"Darkness," Kani shuddered and hugged herself with one arm as she gazed up at the Ossus sun-lit sky. "Nothing but emptiness."

And then a massive shadow suddenly blocked out the sun, plunging the courtyard and the Praxeum into darkness.

"Look! It's the Mandalorians," one of the younglings cried out happily. Gesturing to the looming outline of one of the Mandalorian's newest _Keldabe_ -class strike cruisers. Two more ships, _Kandosii-_ class battleships, entered from high orbit, taking position on either side of the cruiser. The younglings were used to the Mandalorians stopping by on occasion, since the farmstead of Jintar and Dinua Skirata had a contract to resupply the Ossus Praxeum. This often meant that the two brought their children, or one of the many other families in the Skirata branch, and the younglings delighted in playing 'Mandalorian and Jedi' with the resupply teams.

But the Mandalorians had never arrived en masse in battleships. Tionne and Kani exchanged worried glances. The Mandalorians definitely weren't here for a social visit.

A small spherical droid exited the cruiser and floated down to the courtyard before Tionne and Kani. It rotated for a little bit, and then projected a hologram.

"I am _Mand'alor the Restorer_ of the _Mando'ade Empire Reborn_ ," the helmeted figure of Belok Rhal announced. "You will send out all Force sensitive children below the age of thirteen or we will open fire and kill all those who resist and take the children anyway. You have an hour to send them all to the front entrance of your facility where I will be waiting to receive them. There will be no negotiation. The choice to live or die is yours."

A hushed silence fell over the crowd. The sound had been loud enough that everyone in the Praxeum could hear the announcement.

"What are we going to do?" One of the younglings asked, eyes wide with fear.

"Don't worry," Kani smiled bravely. "I'll go talk to Belok and find out why he's doing these things."

"Kani," Tionne said softly.

"It's okay, I've talked with him before, he knows me," Kani said. In fact, Belok had been somewhat of a pen-pal since she had first met him nearly ten years earlier. Without parents of her own, and with Belok's own daughter killed off in the Yuuzhan Vong War, the two had developed a rather unique surrogate relationship with each other. She sometimes wrote to him for advice, and he in turn would write back asking how her day was going. To many, Belok was the big, scary Mandalorian in charge of the Mandalorian Protectorate. To her, he was practically an adoptive father. "He won't be doing this without a reason."

"If you're sure."

"I am, get the little ones down below in case shooting does break out though."

Tionne looked dubious, but she nodded. "Good luck and may the Force be with you."

Kani watched silently as she herded the younglings back into the building. She then gazed back up to the Mandalorian warships floating above. Almost to herself, she muttered. "And in case shooting does break out."

She clasped her hands together, her eyes glowing purple with energy, the Force swirling around her. When she emerged from her flow-walking, the time limit set by Belok was nearly over. She took a moment to recover from the emotions that were swirling through her.

There was a downside to seeing many possible futures almost simultaneously. Especially if said futures were full of despair and death. On one hand, she regretted flow-walking, but on the other…at least she managed to gain the closure she needed. Now, whatever future lay in store for her, she was ready for it.

Releasing another deep breath, Kani made her way to the front of the Praxeum. Standing at the foot of the steps was Belok Rhal himself, along with a large group of heavily armed Mandalorians.

"You should have listened to my warning," Belok's voice sounded mechanical behind his helmet. He calmly drew his blaster. "I said no negotiations."

"Probably should have listened," Kani said softly, her hands at her side. Her heart fell as she realized which of the potential futures she had seen was about to come true. With his words, she immediately knew what Belok was going to do, knew that she was powerless to stop what was coming. She could try to fight it, of course, but there was no point. In a few seconds, no matter what she did, she'd be dead. "Why?"

"Doesn't matter," Belok took aim, no emotion in his voice at all. "I told you to bring out the Jedi children."

"Will you at least let me look you in the eyes before killing me, _buir_?"

Belok's arm wavered slightly at Kani's use of the Mandalorian word for father, but then he nodded. With his other hand, he removed his helmet.

"Oh, Belok," Kani sighed, her expression pained as she reflexively reached up to grip her Kasha pendant and squeeze it tightly. The man's faced showed all the signs of someone immersed in the dark side. His skin was unnaturally pale, veins prominent. His normally brown eyes completely yellow.

"It's _Mand'alor,_ Jedi scum," Belok answered tersely, donning his helmet once more. His finger squeezed the trigger, and Kani's head whipped back as the superheated metal slug caught her square in the forehead.

She was dead before she hit the ground.

" _Oya, Mando'ade_ ," Belok bellowed. "Let's kill some Jedi!"

There was a guttural cheer from behind him as weapons were fired into the air in anticipation. As one the three Mandalorian ships opened fire with their turbolaser batteries. The flowing arches of the Praxeum crumpled almost immediately, crashing down onto the crest-like domes below. After several seconds of firing, the ships stopped, leaving the Praxeum in a barely recognizable state.

Mandalorians began to jumpjet out of the ships' airlocks, a whole army of them descending on the Praxeum's corpse.

Belok pulled out a second plasma pistol and gestured forward. His group of armored individuals followed him into the building, weapons at the ready. Flamethrowers were used in every corner and ventilation duct, the walls scorched black. The armored soldiers approached the Praxeum from all directions, with those trying to run immediately gunned down without mercy.

"Sensor team!" Belok barked.

"Reading three life-signs around the next corner."

Belok unhooked a grenade and activated it. At the last second he lobbed it around the corner and it ignited in a flash.

"Life signs are gone."

The group rounded the corner and saw the charred bodies of three teenage Jedi who had tried to make a stand.

"Keep moving," Belok ordered.

The next hallway, two lightsabers came flying out, decapitating several Mandalorians. Belok and the others simply traced the sabers back to their origins and opened fire in a withering storm of plasma bolts. Unlike lasers, plasma bolts couldn't be reflected back at their shooter and stayed in their molten form on impact with lightsabers. Two more Jedi defenders were dead.

"Several meters below ground," the sensor operator announced. "Massive gathering. I'm guessing that's the kids."

"Split up," Belok announced. "Teams _Arpat and Balac_ , the southern wing. Go."

Hundreds of Mandalorians continued to flood the Praxeum, the sounds of their weapons indicating contact with survivors of the bombardment. Over the comm, one could hear the continuous reports of 'clear' as each room was checked with ruthless efficiency.

"Next room," the sensor operator warned, stepping over a fallen column.

Belok lobbed a stun grenade into the hallway, then polarized his visor as he charged in. Loli and Cappricia, both disorientated by the blast, never stood a chance. Beloc activated a wrist blade and slit Cappricia's throat, and then whirled around and jammed it into Loli's mid-section.

Coughing the Pantoran teen whimpered, weakly clutching at his arm. "Reload save game."

"Game over," Belok replied evenly, removing the blade and letting her drop to the ground next to a suffocating Cappricia. Belok glanced at the dying Melodie and fired a single shot from his plasma pistol. He then wiped his wristblade off on her robes. Touching his comlink he ordered. "Find the Jedi children now. A bonus for every one brought to me."

The Praxeum and its surrounding area continued to burn, the black smoke rising high into the sky. Home to nearly three-hundred Jedi when at full capacity, still had over two-hundred individuals within even with the Knights and Masters away. But the Jedi had no ships, had no defenses against the trained commandos now storming every building. The flashes of plasma fire could be seen in the few surviving windows. Teenage Jedi apprentices were being gunned down in hallways, in the surrounding gardens, everywhere.

For fifteen-year old Jesmin Sarkin-Tainer, the scene was right out of a nightmare. She had been separated from Tionne and the others when the bombardment began and had no way of reaching the basement safe-rooms on the other side of the campus. Unlike most of the other apprentices her age, however, she had the benefit of receiving GA Special Forces combat training and survival skills from her dad. With her were several other younger Jedi, all looking to her for survival.

"Stay calm," Jesmin whispered, as they crawled beneath a collapsed wall. Despite her advice, her own heart was beating miles a minute. They could hear the thumping of explosions, the high-pitched whine of plasma pistols, and the stomping of Mandalorian boots all around them. "We'll survive this."

Another explosion as part of the damaged Praxeum collapsed in on itself, a stream of fine rock and debris trickled through the cracked ceiling and dusted the fleeing Jedi as they crawled.

The four young Jedi managed to wiggle themselves out of the destroyed building they had been in. But when they stood, they saw just how bad things were. Thick black smoke choked out the sky, the incessant crackle of a fire burning out of control was matched in intensity by the heat radiating from the blaze. The blasterfire, which had been so prevalent at the start of the attack, had been reduced to only one or two shots with long intervals between them, like the last few kernels in a bag of popcorn. The Praxeum was beyond saving, yet, the route out of the campus didn't look inviting either. From their position, they could see squads of Mandalorians patrolling all about the perimeter.

In what was left of the courtyard, now visible from where they were thanks to a giant hole in the Praxeum's walls, a Mandalorian shuttle had landed, and younglings were being herded to the vessel at gunpoint. If that didn't convince the small group of frightened Jedi that life as they knew it was over, the sight of what happened next was permanently burned into their mind.

A wounded Tionne Solusar was pushed forward along with the rest of the younglings, a blaster burn on one leg making her stagger. Belok, who was overseeing the process, noticed her and pulled out his blaster as he walked towards her. Without a second thought, before Jesmin and those with her could process it, the Mandalorian leader placed the muzzle of the blaster right to Tionne's forehead and fired.

"I said kids only. We don't need fully trained Jedi causing problems on the flight to _Manda'yaim_."

The terrified younglings began to cry in earnest as they were forced to march past Tionne's crumpled form. Her body lay still on the burnt flagstones of the courtyard, white eyes wide and unseeing.

"Shuttle's full, _Mand'alor_."

"Take off, we'll fit the rest on the next flight."

"Come on," Jesmin swallowed painfully, forcing herself to look away from Tionne's body as she used her arms to redirect the others away from the sight. She might not have been as powerful as her brother when it came to all things Force-related, but even she had felt the death of a woman who was like a second mother to her. "We have to get out of here."

"But where do we go now?" Asked a terrified Vekki. Though two years older than Jesmin, the petite, red-haired human girl was more into computers than anything else. She had the rare ability to affect computer systems and droids with the Force, and her quarters was filled with co-opted training remotes and mouse bots that she called friends. Despite her proclivity for slicing, she was definitely no warrior.

"As far away from anything Jedi," Jesmin murmured, reaching out to place a calming hand on the shorter Jedi's shoulder.

"What about my tribe?" A Ysanna youth asked. "Master K'Kruhk is there with a class of…"

"Them too," Jesmin shook her head, her soot-covered blonde hair fluttering in the breeze created by the intense heat nearby. "The Mandos will be looking for any large concentrations of life. We'd just bring trouble to your people. We'll head towards the mountains."

The group stepped out from the cover they had been using, then froze at the sight of a vibroblade extended towards Jesmin.

" _Su'cuy_ ," a black-armored female Mandalorian said coolly. Behind her were several more Mandalorians all with rifles raised. "I'd advise against using your _Jetii_ tricks. _Mand'alor_ wants you alive, but if you threaten me or my own, we'll put you down."

Jesmin felt the others shrink behind her, even when she herself was barely in control of the fear threatening to freeze her in place. But then she saw something on the woman's armor and a small flare of hope returned. " _Gar cuy Kyr'tsad_!"

At that, the woman seemed to frown behind her helmet. "You know _Mando'a_?"

"What's Death Watch doing with the main Mandalorian faction?" Jesmin asked in turn.

" _Ad, tion'ad cuy gar_?"

"Jedi Apprentice Jesmin Sarkin-Tainer," Jesmin answered bravely.

At that, the woman holding the vibroblade let out a groan. "Sarkin-Tainer?"

"Yes."

"Let me guess, Doran's your brother?"

"Yes?" Jesmin said cautiously, feeling the danger wane.

"Sometimes I hate your Force," the Mandalorian woman sighed and sheathed her vibroblade. "Come with us if you want to stay among the living. We have room on our ship."

"What about the others?" Jesmin gestured back to the Praxeum.

"Can't do anything for them. _Mand'alor_ will become suspicious enough as it is."

"Wait," one of the children spoke up. "Why are you doing this?"

"Saving your lives or massacring your friends?" the Mandalorian female asked.

"Both?"

"We're massacring your friends so we don't get ourselves stuck on the business end of a _dar'jetii_ 's lightsaber. _I_ am saving you because that girl there has a brother who earned my respect a long time ago. Now let's move!"

With no other choice, the group hastily followed the helmeted warrior's orders, darting through the forest towards her landing ship. Once ushered onboard, Jesmin finally managed to piece together the identity of her savoir.

" _Vor entye_ , Tracyn Gedyc."

"Thank me later," Tracyn said, taking off her helmet. Her lone sky-blue eye remained as kind as ever, while her cybernetic eye glowed red and swiveled to focus on the young Jedi before her. "This is only the beginning."

Jesmin looked back out the ship's viewport, her eyes closing as she felt more Jedi die.

"Why?"

"Because the galaxy is a cruel and heartless place," Tracyn answered, her voice still maintaining a mechanical vibe despite the absence of her helmet. She came from behind the younger girl to rest her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "Do you have a comm-frequency for your brother? As soon as we're clear, I'll turn you over to him."

"I…I haven't heard from my brother in a couple of years. He disappeared after encountering a faction of Sith during some incursion in the Bheriz system."

"That does sound like him. Fine, I gave my word. And Doran's family. That means you are too. You and your friends can stay with my group for the time being." Tracyn said. She then paused. "I _am_ sorry we can't save any of the others."

"I know," Jesmin said sympathetically. She turned away from the window and looked down at her hands, suddenly missing her mom, dad, and brother more than anything. "I know."

 **LotJB[ II ]LotJB**

Janek Skywalker, fifteen years young, was fairly different from his older brother. Where Ben tended accept a leadership role and embrace the spotlight, Janek had the benefit of being in the considerable shadow of his brother. Not that he didn't shun a leadership role or the spotlight. He had a lot more confidence than most boys his age due to said brother and last name. He also had no qualms with using the Skywalker name to gain a following in the Jedi Order.

A select following.

Cousin Jacen might have political supporters, Cousin Anakin had military supporters, his brother had friends at all levels of the Jedi Order. But Janek had a much more enjoyable following.

After all, a following of teenage girls always did wonders for a teenage boy's ego. Fortunately, Janek also had Mara Jade Skywalker as a mom, who helped to keep said ego in check. That didn't stop him, however, from appealing to his fan-base. He _knew_ that he was in peak physical condition, that his blue eyes shone like his father's and his red hair—tied back in a ponytail—caught the eyes of those around him. He had confidence, smarts, and the wherewithal to use them.

Now and again though, he did need a break from all his adoring admirers. Whoever said Jedi couldn't feel romantic attachments had obviously never been in his shoes. So many girls, so little time.

"So which Girl of the Day was it yesterday?" Ryza Durron said with exasperation, kicking off a nearby wall of the Mim Low-Gravity Training facility—a facility built on one of Ossus' moons to teach Jedi how to handle a variety of low-gravity situations. Clad in a tight black tank-top and loose gray pants, the part-Kiffar teenager used the Force to augment her speedy assault.

"I don't kiss and tell," a shirtless Janek smirked, twirling the training staff and blocking Ryza's rapidly delivered strikes. His blue eyes darted back and forth as he met each of her attacks with one of his own.

That only seemed to annoy her, and she picked up her pace. "Romor? Jayk?"

"Not telling," Janek laughed, batting aside her next attack and stepping in close. He hooked an arm around her waist, and stole a brief kiss with a cocky smirk.

Ryza pushed him away with a look of mock disgust. "I'm not that type of girl, Skywalker. Besides, it was Jesmin, wasn't it? She had that ridiculous smile on her face after your 'study group'."

"You see, that's why I don't date girls who can read minds," Janek said, it was his turn to make a face.

"Skywalker, all girls know what's on _your_ mind."

"Soooo, I should tell the rest of the girls that it's your fault I decided to date only men instead? I know that Josat…"

"If you want a mass slaughter of hormonal teenage Jedi girls, sure. I'd even get away with it by claiming self-defense," Ryza's golden eyes sparkled. She whirled around, knocking Janek's staff out of his hand and sweeping him to the ground. "My dad already thinks that with us being Skywalker and Durron we're doomed to flame out super-nova style. I didn't have the heart to tell him that we weren't even together. After all, you go after Miss Commando with all the subtly of a rampaging Reek."

Janek returned the leg sweep so that Ryza fell on top of him. Wrapping an arm around her and rolling on top of her he grinned and stole another kiss. Breathing heavily, he whispered into her ear. "Yeah, but who did I invite up here to train with me, unsupervised?"

Against his bare chest, with his weight pressing down on her and his voice like liquid honey, Ryza couldn't help but blush impressively and shiver. The heat of his body, and his masculine scent had her thinking things she was pretty sure the Jedi of the olden days would frown upon big-time. Once she managed to get her scrambled thoughts back into order, she quickly looked away lest she drown in his sparkling sky blue eyes. She playfully swatted him and after some pushing, managed to extract herself from beneath him, calling on the Force to control her rampaging hormones. It didn't help that Janek also got up and decided to do some stretching.

"Hey, I thought us girls had a corner on that exaggerated stretching!" Ryza complained, eyeing him nonetheless. She was only mortal after all, and there _was_ a very obvious surface reason why Janek had girls chasing him wherever he went. Not the least was the results his near-daily hour-long work-out routines had on his body.

"Who's exaggerating?" Janek said innocently, smiling his winning grin.

The light-hearted talk and their shared smile, however, died in an instant. The two felt the death through the Force the split second it happened.

"Kani!" Janek breathed, his lunch rising and his head spinning. "Oh Force, Ben…"

More deaths followed in quick succession. Janek, having always been as strong as his brother in the Force, felt each death with increasing agony and collapsed to his knees.

"Skywalker! Focus on me, on my voice!" Ryza gritted out, crawling to him on her hands and knees and gripping his head in both her hands. "On me!"

Janek remembered that both of Ryza's brothers were down at the Praxeum and tried to block out the mass death of Jedi occurring several thousand kilometers below. He gave himself a mental kick to get his brain thinking about something else. _Feel sorry later, try to save the day now._ "We need to get to the control center, find out what's happening!"

The two teens scrambled back to their feet, but only seconds later, Janek's legs failed him again. This time the loss was felt a lot more sharply and he sucked in a pained breath. "Damn it! Not Cappricia too!"

He gripped onto a nearby wall with one hand and Ryza's shoulder with the other, his expression haunted. The Melodie Jedi had been like an older sister to him, a mentor in many ways. It had been her dream to learn as much as she could about the galaxy before she changed into her fish-form—had even wanted to start an underwater library of Jedi materials back on Yavin Eight. Always happy, eager to learn, Janek couldn't think of a single reason why anyone would want to hurt her, much less kill the bright and caring Melodie. But she was now dead, and it didn't matter if a reason existed or not. Nothing was bringing her back.

The two staggered through the hallway, grimacing and squeezing each other's hand as one death after another echoed through the Force. Their young hearts beat a pained rhythm, each death making their heads spin and their lunch rise in their throats. Each death came like a kick to the chest, sharp and abrupt and leaving a lasting ache. By the time they reached the control room of the training facility, they had stopped feeling deaths. Which wasn't a good thing despite the relief they felt. It just meant that the killers had run out of people to kill.

"My brothers are still alive," Ryza managed, sounding both relieved and terrified at the same time. Her skin was pale, sweat mixing with her tears as she gripped onto Janek's hand as if he would disappear on her.

"It's the Mandalorians," Janek whispered, looking at the sensor readings with a gaze that was both haunted and furious. He squeezed her hand just as hard, trying to ground himself amid the maelstrom of distress in the Force.

"But why would they do this?"

"I don't kno…"Janek trailed off, his eyes squeezing shut as he felt Tionne's Force presence vanish. This time even Ryza let out an audible sob, and hugged herself to his arm, burying her face into his side.

"This is just a bad dream, right Janek?" She whispered hoarsely against his side. "A bad, bad, bad dream."

Janek offered what little comfort he could, pulling the other teen to him in a hug meant to reassure the both of them. Rubbing her back, he looked on, in a similar state of denial as the Praxeum's location became a glowing red bonfire from orbit. Then the sensor console began to beep. "We have company. Three Mandalorian ships on approach. Probably detected our life-signs."

Ryza's eyes snapped open, and she stepped away from him, her Force presence harsh and full of rage. She was the daughter of Kyp Durron after all, and she had inherited her mother's silent fury. "We're not going down without a fight."

"You got that right," Janek nodded. "Looks like they're heading for the main docking bay."

"Wait, I sense…Jesmin's on one of the ships!" Ryza exhaled. "She's still alive!"

Janek looked at the sensor readings again. "But her ship will be the last to get here."

"Between the two of us, we can hold the others 'til she gets here. Those bucket-heads are going to regret pissing off a Durron and Skywalker!"

When the two Mandalorian shuttles at the forefront of the group made their final approach, neither expected their landing to be so undignified. The top of the landing bay retracted as the Mandalorian slicers forced the doors opened, and the two shuttles began to descend.

Pooling their strength, both Janek and Ryza reached out with the Force and forcibly slammed one shuttle into the second. Both landing vessels came crashing down into the hangar in a tangled metal wreck. Several Mandalorians crawled out of the wreckage and raised their blasters, only to see an industrial-sized load-lifter fly through the air like a ballistic missile and slam into the combined wreck with a deafening blast. Bodies and shrapnel flew every which way as the fuel and ordinance in the shuttles ignited. Had it been any other invading force, those on board would probably had been killed to the last man.

But there was a reason why the Mandalorians had such fearsome reputation.

More Mandalorians began to crawl out, some even covered in flames, and they joined the others in firing at the two young Jedi.

Knowing that the Mandalorians had the advantage in range, both Ryza and Janek sprinted from cover to cover, closing the distance. When they reached striking range, Ryza's purple saber hummed to life and promptly dispatched two Mandalorians in a single sweep. Janek's green blade caused after-image blurs as he twirled it and spun it about through a line of the armored soldiers, dispatching Mandalorian after Mandalorian. Had the crack soldiers been organized and unscathed in their landing, they might have been able to win without serious losses. But the crash and subsequent dismantling of survivors, left definite holes in their defensive lines. Even then, these were trained soldiers and not rabble.

"Kill the Jedi!" One of the Mandalorians yelled, firing a rocket at Ryza.

The lithe half-Kiffar teen performed a back-flip and evaded the missile, then dove behind the wreckage of the shuttles. Janek quickly neutralized the Mandalorian firing at Ryza, only to receive several blaster shots as he did.

"Janek!" Ryza shouted from behind her cargo crate. "Don't you dare die on me too!"

"Didn't plan on it," Janek staggered behind another crate. He gave her a tired grin, grimacing as he poked at a blaster burn on his side. "That's going to need bacta."

Ryza threw herself to the side as another wrist-missile obliterated her cover. Sprinting towards her attacker, her saber hummed as it deflected shot after shot. The Mandalorian tried to jet-pack away at the last second, only to have his head fly off without his body.

Another round of blasterfire sounded, and Ryza yelped as a superheated slug pierced her leg. Janek reached out with the Force and yanked her to him before the Mandalorian could take advantage of her lapse in defense.

"Got you," Janek breathed, hugging her close.

"Thanks," she managed back, her hands gripping her wound. "Getting shot hurts."

"No kidding. How many of them are left out there?'

"Including the guy that shot me, about seven more," Ryza said weakly, reaching back to grip his hand in a tight grip. Both of them were spent energy-wise and knew it. They could hear the surviving Mandalorians getting ready to launch their final attack. "We tried."

"Yeah," Janek rested his forehead against hers, mentally apologizing to his family. "We did."

Then, the third Mandalorian shuttle arrived. Jesmin Sarkin-Tainer leaped down from above, her blue saber sweeping through several unsuspecting Mandalorians.

" _Kyr'tsad_ traitors!" An alarmed cry went up.

Ryza and Janek took Jesmin's distraction to burst out of their cover.

"Come on!" Jesmin yelled, furiously blocking blaster fire as best she could. The Mandalorians with her poured suppressing fire down on the others.

"Thanks for the rescue and the ride, S-T," Janek muttered, holding his side with one arm and supporting Ryza with the other.

"Not like I can leave your handsome ass on this moon," Jesmin retorted, slapping his butt as he passed. "Durron's maybe."

"Love you too, S-T," Ryza said sarcastically, nursing a fresh burn on the side of her face.

The Mandalorians in the shuttle continued to fire on their brethren, neutralizing the last of the threat. Jesmin helped the injured duo onto the ship and closed the hatch behind them.

"So, where are we heading to now?" Janek asked, slipping into a healing trance.

"Their base. My brother is close to this group, we'll be safe."

"What about _my_ brothers?" Ryza spoke up, glaring at the other teen. "What happened to them?"

" _Mand'alor_ is going to deliver them to the _dar'Jetii_ ," one of the Mandalorian rescuers said evenly. "To be trained in their ways."

"Dar what?"

"Sith," Jesmin supplied for Ryza.

"Oh heck no," Ryza shook her head and tried to stand. "I'm not letting any Sith get a hand on Maia or Zeth!"

"Deal with it for now," the Mandalorian woman said sharply, shoving the young Jedi back into her chair. "As it is, I'm going to have to explain to _Mand'alor_ and his _dar'Jetii_ buddies just why we took this detour and how come the other two ships didn't come back with us. You ever try lying to a Force-user? Damned near impossible."

"Errr…why _did_ you pick us up?" Janek asked.

Tracyn arched an eyebrow at the young Jedi. "Sarkin-Tainer is family thanks to the actions of her big brother. In Mandalorian culture, family is everything. We don't abandon our own."

"Oh…thank your brother for us when you see him next, Jesmin," Janek breathed. "And thanks for coming for us."

"Of course," Jesmin whispered, hugging herself. "Wasn't about to lose any more friends."

Janek smiled faintly, but his expression faded at the look on Ryza's face. "Ryza, don't worry, we'll get your brothers back somehow. I promise."

"I know," Ryza exhaled. She squeezed her own eyes shut to send as much reinforcement as she could to her brothers. _Stay strong you two. I'll rescue you, so just stay strong!_

 **LotJB[ III ]LotJB**

"Finally!" Zeltron quasi-Force sensitive Rali Xici—Raxi to her friends—exclaimed, beaming. "We've actually managed to do it!"

"It only took eight years," twenty-one year old, part-Mirulan, Siare Amah chuckled at his girlfriend's exuberance. Even then, he too couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. How could he not? After facing non-stop toils, navigating bureaucratic red-tape, predatory gangs, Killik remnants, and corrupt politicians on all levels for nearly every day of their past seven years, it was amazing to see all that work finally pay off. "Eight years, weeks without sleep, and ungratefulness all around."

"We got it done, don't knock it!" Jedi Knight Seha Dorvald laughed, joining in with the good cheer of all those around them.

The official re-opening of the Denon Old City—though technically it had been open for business for the past year—was designed to coincide with the reopening of Coruscant, and millions of refugees all over Denon were in a celebratory mood. With donations from Tenandro Industries, Yuuzhan Vong Shapers, and several other powerful corporations, the past seven years had been spent fixing up the Old City to make it livable once more. Truly livable and not just a collection of shanty-towns that spanned the entire planet.

Borne partly from necessity—the Yuuzhan Vong and Swarm Wars had created an emergency refugee crisis that even the Senate couldn't ignore—and partly from the unyielding efforts of the Denon Temple Relief Team, several hundred billion credits had been allocated to make the Old City 'new' again. No longer did it smell of smoke, with an aura of depression and gloom. No longer did barely functioning holo-signs flicker on and off at random intervals. The painstaking work of the team spearheaded by Jedi Master Deran Nalual and Denon Temple Initiate Rali Xici had borne fruit many times over, with the gratitude of the billions of refugees palpable in the Force. Countless new jobs were opening up as the Old City morphed into a mini-state of its own, with its own sanitation systems, police units, and more. There were sectors such as Little Rodia, Bothawui Reborn, and New Sernpidal, where survivors of various conflicts congregated to preserve their culture as best they could.

Viewing it all from a traveling hover-platform full of revelers, the Denon Temple Relief Team couldn't help but look at it all with a sense of swelling pride. All those restless nights, aggravating committees, and 'studies' were worth it.

As Raxi took it all in, she couldn't help but truly feel that she was a Jedi, if not in ability, then in spirit.

"How's it looking down there?" Siare asked, completely blind save for his Force-echolocation ability.

"Amazing, happy," Raxi laughed, looping an arm around him. She gestured to the gleaming highrises in the distance and the bright white lights that illuminated the now vibrant Old City. The last stop on their 'victory' tour of Old City districts, the capitol, looked nothing like it had nearly a decade earlier. In fact, if it wasn't for the lack of sunlight, it looked like something one might find on the surface levels of the planet. "Oh, I really wish you could see it!"

"I'll just take your word for it," Siare laughed again, basking in her emotions as she hugged him tightly.

One of the other pluses to have come out of the eight-years of non-stop work was his relationship with Raxi. When he finally asked her out three years earlier, he had been a nervous wreck. Not only was she four years older, drop-dead gorgeous due to her Zeltron physiology, and outgoing, he had his own insecurities to worry about. Namely, he was blind, weaker in the Force than she was, and had a tendency to be more pessimistic about the galaxy. When she had agreed to go out with him, he had been shocked. He supposed it was the ultimate of galactic jokes; that a stunning Zeltron would go out with the one blind male in the Temple. But they had now been together for three happy years, and he certainly wasn't complaining about the hand the Force had dealt him.

As the hover platform headed out of the new 'rural' areas—a vast tract of terraformed land capable of producing food for the surrounding cities—the good feelings in the Force suddenly shifted. It was a change so sudden that it registered even with those barely able to feel the Force.

"What the _kriff_?" One of the other members of the team whispered in confusion.

Ahead lay the unofficial 'capitol' of the Old City, where a unity-government made up of several of the larger refugee factions oversaw the day-to-day issues that popped up. It was then that the cheering they had heard from the city wasn't cheering at all. It was screaming, screams of terror. As the hover platform drew near, they could see black smoke wafting up from several nearby blocks. Several of the highrises showing signs of damage, with broken windows and holes in the wall visible even from the distance the Denon team was floating.

"I'm going to try Central," Seha said nervously, activating the platform's comm-system. "Central, this is Jedi Knight Seha Dorvald, do you read me? Central, come in?"

" _Jedi Knight Dorvald, stay out of the city! I repeat, stay out of the city! Some sort of contagion is rapidly spreading throughout. We think it might have been in the water supply! Everyone who's been using the new water system is changing_!"

"Changing?" Seha said, hearing the anxiety in the man's voice.

" _Changing! We're all changing into these creatures! Even I am! Oh Force, I'm changing, I can see it! My skin is turning gray! I'm not going to turn into those things_!"

"Calm down, can you tell me what's hap…" Seha trailed off as the sound of a blaster discharging echoed through the system. Seha blanched and looked to the others with a bewildered look.

"Bring the platform to a halt just outside the city," Jedi Master Nalual directed evenly, though her own face was tight with worry.

"Yes, Master," Raxi quickly plotted the course, her worried gaze looking back and forth over the city.

The platform slowed, the screams, explosions, and all around chaos wafting out from the burning city.

Siare took it all in with his other senses, his face tight in anger. With a yell, he pounded the platform's railings. "Blast it! We just finished making the place better! Why the blazes is the Force going to tear it down again!"

"First we need to find out what is going on. Loana," the blind Togruta master turned to the Bothan Jedi Knight with them. "Can you slice into the local databanks?"

"The Old City isn't set up for remote connection because of the old wirings," the Bothan shook her head. "I'd need a direct access to the central banks."

"Into the city, then?" Raxi looked to Master Nalual.

"Yes."

The platform surged forward again, coasting between the forest of towering buildings around it. The team got a glimpse at what was happening when the windows of a nearby highrise shattered. Three massive gray creatures leaped out of the building with an enraged snarl. One overshot the floating platform. The other two, however, found their marks. Two politicians who had been on the platform to observe the opening, let out screams of terror as the creatures bowled into them and took them over the opposite side of the platform.

"No," Raxi breathed, wide-eyed.

"Look!" Another of the team pointed out as the platform coasted over the refurbished main-square.

The team looked down, then promptly lost whatever composure they had managed to keep. The city-square, capable of holding over a hundred thousand people, was jam-packed. Full of the very gray-skinned creatures that had just attacked them. The creatures moved on all fours, snarling and howling at the passing platform. Their deformed bodies covered in torn scraps of blood-stained clothing, beady black eyes glaring upwards.

"What…what could cause all this….?" Seha whispered hoarsely.

"I have no idea," Deran murmured, shaking her head. "But the sooner we get to the bottom of this, the sooner we can right it once more."

"For how long?" Siare said bitterly, his echolocation clicks allowing him to 'see' every contour and angle all around him.

"For as long as this body draws a breath, I will harbor hope and light within me," Deran answered back patiently. "Just because things seem bleak, it does not mean it will stay that way. We have spent seven years building this place up, and I for one am not ready to feel it fall apart so soon."

"She's right," Seha said determinedly, checking her lightsaber and the tools on her utility belt. "We're Jedi. We do nothing, the dark side wins. And I don't like losing."

"Best bet for any information is the regional capitol building," Loana pointed to the gleaming white and gray structure in the center of town. "If the local government has any survivors, they'll be there too."

"I can't see how anyone can survive this," one of the politicians on the platform murmured, looking over the side at the myriad of creatures clambering through the apocalyptic mess below.

"I can't either," Siare muttered, his repeated echolocation clicks giving him an even more detailed view of the area.

"We must trust in the Force," Master Nalual counseled gently. "For now, let us focus on uncovering the truth behind this madness."

"Find the truth?" One of the other politicians protested. "Space that, we need to get out of here, have the upper-city raze this place to the ground before those things get to the surface!"

"Control said that there was something in the water," Seha said. "The main aquifers pass through much of the Old City before reaching the new. If the problem started down here, we need to figure out when and how to best help those on the surface."

"Look, over there. There's a taxi terminal, and the parking slots are full. Drop us off there and you do your Jedi truth-seeking business. We'll take the taxis back to the surface and get you help," the politician continued. "We're not soldiers, none of us are."

"I wouldn't go there if I were you," Siare said impassively.

"You can't tell us what to do, Jedi," the politician glowered at the younger man.

"Fine," Siare shrugged. "Go ahead. Just wanted to let you know that there are life-signs inside those taxis. Some just out of sight too."

"Other survivors," a second politician voiced.

"If they're survivors, how come they didn't escape?" Raxi asked with more calm than her part-Miraluka counterpart.

"It's safer if we stick together," Loana voiced.

"I don't know about that either," Siare exhaled. "Maybe we should try to help them get back. There are, what, nearly a hundred of us on this floating platform. Chances are, not all of us are going to make it back to…."

"Siare," Jedi Master Nalual chided gently.

"Just being a realist, master. Loana and Seha are the only fully trained, combat-able Jedi on this thing. This was supposed to be a celebration, so we don't even have any blasters with us. As great as Seha and Loana are, even they can't protect everyone against everything out there."

"The capitol building has transports and an armory," the local administrator of the current section of the Old City offered. He glanced to the others. "If you gentle-beings can refrain from hysteria for several more minutes, once we arrive at the capitol building we can both arm those who wish to help the Jedi and assist those who wish to inform the surface of our situation in leaving."

"We continue to the capitol building them," Raxi said with forced cheer at the reluctant nods of consent from the more terrified members of their group.

The circular platform resumed its silent trek over the city, a dark raincloud that passed by unnoticed as it floated through the chaotic landscape. There were howls and screams that echoed through the various levels of the city. Distant sound of blasterfire that fell silent almost as soon as it started up. Walkways and buildings were engulfed in flame, wrecked speeders crashed into everything crash-into-able. And all around, everywhere the group looked, there were those gray-skinned creatures prowling and sniffing at the air.

"Some of those things are wearing clothes," one of the aid-workers realized.

"The guy from Control did say they were turning into something," Siare shrugged.

"This city was fine when we were going through rehearsals for this three days ago," another aid-worker said in disbelief. "How fast does this change take place?"

"That's one of the things we'll definitely find out."

As the capitol building grew closer, the group could see flashes of a fire-fight occurring at several ground-level entrances. Hoards of the gray-skinned creatures charged out from the darkened blocks, drawn by the sound of the fight. Fending them off was a battalion of antiquated battle-droids and automated defenses. Defenses that were fast being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers charging them despite the impressive pile of bodies they were creating.

"Only droids," Loana noted.

"I can sense life inside the building though," Siare said after another moment. "Can't tell if it's more of those things though."

"Aim for the roof landing pad," Master Nalual directed Raxi.

"Yes, Master." The floating platform elevated as its repulsors intensified their anti-grav fields.

Even as they ascended, though, the sight before them wasn't reassuring. Several windows in the building were blown out, as if something large had crashed through them. The power on various floors also appeared to be out. There were even clawmarks alongside the face of the building, as if something had climbed its way along the duracrete…many somethings. Worst yet, as they reached the top of the structure, they could see a giant hole in the roof.

The group groaned.

"What is it?" Siare asked Raxi.

"The capitol building might have a small pest problem," Raxi answered.

"Administrator Alston," Master Nalual looked to the local official. "Were you able to complete the networking of the databanks throughout the whole building?"

"Eighty-percent of the computers inside are networked," he nodded. "Including all the ones in the upper levels. It's a closed system since the surface city administrators didn't want anything to do with the Old City."

"Good, then all we need to do is get to a computer terminal."

"Siare and I can handle that," Raxi volunteered.

"Loana and I can take the others to the armory and vehicle bay," Seha nodded. "Be careful you two."

The defenses in front of the building failed, and the creatures let out a howl of victory as they bounded through the doors.

Swallowing her fear, Raxi smiled weakly at her friend. "You too."

 **LotJB[ IV ]LotJB**

Jedi Knight Jysella Horn briefly wondered if her day could get any worse. Waking up late for an important meeting with the Corellian Senate, she had spilled hot caf on her robes on the trip over. Only to learn that the meeting had been rescheduled earlier that morning for some distant date. She then discovered that the Corellian government was once again slashing the budget for the Corellian Praxeum. The Corellian government had been decidedly anti-Jedi ever since the Killik War—though the Jedi _were_ indirectly responsible for the loss of a good portion of Corellia's military capabilities during said war. Lastly, she had just learned that she hadn't passed her trials for Jedi Master. 'Too young' the masters had called her. 'Impatient' was another word she remembered.

Ever since her brother had died during the Swarm War, Jysella had pushed herself hard to be the best Jedi she could be. She had to be Jedi enough for both Valin and her, but evidently, seven years of hard work was not enough. Seven years of helping the helpless, bringing peace to the ungrateful, and otherwise trying to be a Jedi in an increasingly hostile Corellian climate. Frustration was something she was becoming very familiar with. In fact, if her dad wasn't the leader of the Corellian Praxeum, she would have considered quitting all together.

Her personal life had suffered as a result of all her stress and dissatisfaction. Forget her on-again off-again relationship with Tarc Slane. That was now a completely melted-down, bridge-burned, stomach-ache-inducing memory.

" _Jysella, you have to sto…"_

" _What? 'Stop'? I am a Jedi, Tarc. Unlike you glorified cab-drivers, I can't just decide to stop being one! I can't hang up my lightsaber and let the galaxy pass me by in blissful ignorance as I shuttle one stupid sap from one place to another. What I do, it affects so many lives, so many systems. I_ _ **have**_ _to do this because I inherited all the Jedi mysticism from my dad."_

" _Yeah, and you see what it's doing to you! Don't tell me that yesterday's thing was a trick of the light, don't even think about using your Force to get me to believe it either. I know what I saw! When I interrupted that training session to give you dinner, your eyes were yellow! Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't yellow eyes on a human mean 'evil Jedi'?"_

" _So you're an expert on Jedi now? Drop it, Tarc. My brother died building this Praxeum, the Green Jedi, and making sure they were on the straight and narrow. I'll be damned if I let some_ _ **tour guide**_ _stop me from continuing his dream. If you don't like it, fine, then leave! I don't have time for our little fling any more anyways, my Master trials are in several months and I don't need any distractions."_

Her relationship with her dad was professional at best, she only talked with her 'wise' father when absolutely necessary. And her mom, well, how can someone not a Jedi even hope to understand what she was trying to do.

" _Jysella, honey, I'm…"_

" _Worried, I know, mom. Stop. I'm fine. Next month, I'll be a Jedi Master just like dad wants me to be. I'll have fulfilled his wish by following in his footsteps, and I'll then dispense useless words of wisdom to the next generation just like him."_

" _Don't take that tone with me, I'm still your mother."_

" _Yeah, great, whoohoo. Listen mom, I'm tired of the looks you and dad send my way. I'm helping others, making this galaxy a better place, what about that is there to complain about?"_

" _You've accepted one mission after another. Haven't taken so much as a vacation day since the Killik War, and I've had to learn from the media that my daughter was in bacta not once or twice. Oh no, you and your father don't do anything small. I had to hear about it_ _ **five**_ _times. What was the last one? You jumped in front of a superheated metal slug meant for a refugee and flash-fried your side?"_

" _So, I lived? That little girl lived. The bad guy was sliced in half. What's your point?"_

" _You're self-destructing."_

" _And you're exaggerating. I still have so much to do, can't afford to die."_

" _Sella…"_

" _Mom, enough! Seriously. I get enough flack from the Senate and the other masters, I don't need a lecture from you. At least the Jedi Masters and senators know what goes into keeping a planet running, you've spent nearly all your life trying to break the laws and profit from it."_

And that was another relationship that her frustration had shot down. With everything piled on, Jysella couldn't possibly fathom how her current day could become any worse.

And then it did.

"Jedi Knight Horn!" A panicked voice called out, followed by footsteps hastily running through the hall. "Jedi Knight Horn!"

"What?" Jysella sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Does another refugee group need relocating?"

"Jedi Knight Horn!" The Corellian Jedi Apprentice scrambled into Jysella's office, panting as he did. "Trouble! The Corellian Defense Force has declared the Praxeum an illegal military institution and are marching on us!"

"What?!" Jysella stood, her eyes darting to her window.

"Head of State Denjax Teppler was deposed as well! It's why this morning's senate meeting was canceled."

"What?" Jysella repeated again. "Who's in charge then?"

The apprentice grabbed the HoloNet control and turned on the monitor. Jysella's jaw dropped, her hands fell limply to her side.

"… _and I promise to reverse the trend of decline that these so-called Corellian Jedi have inflicted on our great government! As I speak, the Corellian Defense Force and a special group of concerned citizens are rounding up the Jedi to execute them for treason. Just as I promised all of you loyal followers at that farce of a trial over a dozen years ago. I'm back. Back and here to clean up our planet of the weakness that has taken root. I will make Corellia great once more, or my name isn't Thrackan Sal-Solo!"_

Jysella looked out the window, her eyes bulging at the sight of hover-tanks and legions of soldiers marching down the main road to the still yet-to-be-completed Jedi Praxeum. But then she narrowed her gaze at the group of individuals leading the military. The 'concerned citizens' or so Thrackan had called them, were Force-sensitive.

Two figures were at the forefront of the entire group, both masked and hooded, but obviously male and female. Humanoid male and Twi'lek female. The male waved a finger in the air in a circular motion. Before Jysella could think of anything else, the hovertanks opened fire. Windows blew out, walls crumpled. There was a deafening rumble again, and the entire building shook.

"We need to get to the landing bay," Jysella hissed. "No way we can fight all of them."

But that option was made a lot more difficult a second later when Corellian Chase-X's roared by, quad-laser cannons blasting off the green mirrored jewel at the top of the building in a definitive statement.

"What are we going to do?" the apprentice said in panic.

"Well, we run or die," Jysella said tersely, gesturing for the teen to follow her. "If the entire planet wants us dead, then that's all we can do."

"But we're Jedi. We've been helping them for the past ten years!"

"And evidently they don't need us anymore," Jysella replied as the building shook from another bombardment. She made a gesture as several more frightened apprentices joined her. "Life is never fair."

They rounded the corner and saw a squad of Defense Force commandos at the opposite end. Both Jysella and the commandos readied their weapons at the same time. Her yellow lightsaber hummed as it deflected the laser bolts, and when a few seconds passed, the squad of commandos was dead on the floor from their own projectiles.

"Keep moving," Jysella said dispassionately.

When they reached the hangar bay, the escape by ship went from difficult to impossible. The commandos had destroyed all the vessels sitting in the hangar, and there were three other commando squads present with weapons raised.

"Surrender, Jedi," the lead commando ordered, voice mechanical in nature because of his helmet.

Red lightsabers lit up and three of the black-dressed, hooded and masked people Jysella had seen outside emerged from the ranks of the commandos.

"Don't bother, captain," one of the three dark Jedi said lazily. "We got this. If you want you can blast the brats later."

"Darth Moderus said that we weren't going to kill kids," the commando protested.

"Very well, then we'll finish off the apprentices after we deal with her," the dark Jedi said dismissively.

Jysella held out her hands to either side of her and addressed the apprentices. "Stay back."

"We can fight."

"I said, stay back," Jysella repeated, holding up her lightsaber. She pressed a second button and a second yellow beam of light emerged from her saber-staff. "This will be over quickly."

Jysella went on the offensive, her saberstaff twirling about in her hands with a deadly hum. Her body whipped about, avoiding the thrusts and slashes of her opponents, her feet constantly in motion. An over-the-shoulder block turned into a sweeping attack. The three dark Jedi were forced back slowly but surely. Her saber whooshed and buzzed, slicing off the sleeve of one of the dark Jedi, scorching the cheek of another. Throughout it all Jysella remained unscathed. She might not have been made Jedi Master, but she had made damned sure she was on the same combat-level as one. Then again, the three she was up against weren't the best bladesmen she had faced either.

 _Valin could have taken them._ Jysella clenched her jaw as that stray thought caused her to misstep very briefly.

The three dark Jedi used that opportunity to attack in perfect unison, two trying to tie up her blades while the third went in for the kill. Only, the third was suddenly blasted with a ball of Force energy and rebounded painfully off the smoldering wreck of one of the ships.

"Mind if we even the odds a bit?" Falleen Jedi Knight Natua Wan asked with her usual detachment, dropping down from a hole in the ceiling.

A second dark Jedi was sent flying in another direction as Natua's Selonian apprentice Shrona dropped down from another hole in the ceiling. Now a teenager, the lithe polecat form of Natua's apprentice radiated a molten fury at having her home attacked.

"Let's finish this up then," Jysella said, taking advantage of their arrival to skewer her surprised opponent.

The commandos seemed to remember that they had guns in their hands and frantically brought them up to bear. Even heavily armed and armored, they were no match for the three Jedi that quickly carved through their ranks.

"Great, now we still need a ship," Shrona commented simply, pushing the last commando off of her sky-blue saber. Several more apprentices dropped through the hole Shrona had come through to join the survivors. Even then the building continued to boom and shake from constant bombardment. "And fast."

"And the Force has provided one for us," Natua pointed out the open bay.

A civilian transport appeared to be defying all odds and was weaving around the laser fire of several Chase-X's in pursuit.

"Everyone get ready to jump!" Jysella yelled out in warning.

The transport swung by, side-door open. The dozen Jedi leaped in unison, tumbling into the hold as the door slammed shut and the ship rocketed away. From the viewport, the Jedi could only watch in disbelief as the building they had spent the better part of a decade in crumbled under the barrage.

"What happens now?" Asked one of the apprentices in a hushed voice.

"Now we continue to live, to learn, and take strength and comfort in the fact that we have survived this day," Natua answered, knowing that Jysella would be distracted due to their rescuer.

"Tarc," Jysella managed at the door of the cockpit, staring in disbelief at the pilot.

"Jedi Horn," Tarc replied without any warmth.

"Guess I deserved that."

"Mind strapping in to the co-pilot seat? I think some of those Chase-X's in pursuit have Jedi pilots. We're not going to last much longer up here."

"Right, sure," Jysella did as bidden, checking the ship's sensors. Four fighters were in tight pursuit. "Does this thing have any weapons?"

"It's a taxi, it has a fare-meter," Tarc replied sarcastically. "If you want to bill them by the kilometer, maybe that'll get them to back off."

Of course, Jysella's day happened to get much worse. A missile fired by one of the fighters impacted with the side of the ship. Military ordnance versus civilian manufactured taxi wasn't exactly a fair match up.

"Blast it!" Tarc groaned over the smoke and blaring alarms. "We're going down!"

For those on the ground, all they could see was the flaming ship careen off several buildings before disappearing into the forests just outside the capital in a blinding fireball.

Back in front of the Praxeum, the attack had been halted.

"Darth Moderus," a masked figure knelt in front of the attacking force's leader. "The building has been destroyed. All survivors are now in our custody."

"And what of Jedi Master Horn?" Darth Moderus said without emotion. The flames of the burning Praxeum reflected off the glossy ebony mask he wore. Carved to resemble someone who's mouth and eyes had been sewn shut, the mask was just as expressionless as his voice. "I left instructions for him to be left alive so he can be made an example of. Were your people up to the task Lord Saedis?"

"He chose to fight, my lord, killed eight of our initiates before we subdued him."

"And Corellian casualties?"

"Nearly a hundred were lost sir, close to fifty were in the advance team by the landing bay, including three more initiates."

"The Jedi?"

"Eight Green Knights were killed in the fighting. But we've secured twenty of the apprentices."

"This Praxeum had nearly twice that in apprentices."

"The ship that eluded our fighters…"

"The aerial assault was your responsibility, _Lord_. Let us hope your successor does better." Darth Moderus ended the report by skewering the man's bowed head with a blood-red saber.

The others shifted nervously, knowing full well their commander had a reputation for punishing failure and rewarding success. He also wasn't too discriminatory in that respect, considering the fact that the man he had just executed had been a fellow dark Jedi,

"Secure all Jedi! I don't want any more slip-ups," Darth Moderus barked. "When High Master Namman Cha returns from Coruscant, I want the Sith Praxeum of Corellia fully up and running."

"Sir!"

The remaining lightsaber-wielding attackers hurried off to do his bidding.

"See? Wasn't that fun?" Darth Moderus' until then silent companion said lightly. "You got to kill a very bad man, a Sith Lord, in front of an army of dark Jedi and no one cared. Could never have done that as a Jedi. You felt their fear, didn't you?"

Moderus ignored her. "My sister?"

"I had the charter request put in to DonoSlane Excursions. I assume that was the crazy pilot who braved the squad of Defense Force fighters. Now the question is, what are you going to do about your father?"

"I'll let you handle him, Alema," Valin said evenly, removing his mask to let the cool Corellian air wash over his pale face. "I have to give you some fun after all."

"So kind of you, my apprentice."

"I have to make up an excuse for Namman when he gets back from Coruscant. I doubt he'd accept the fact that Saedis' incompetence allowed half the population of the Praxeum to escape."

"You're good at thinking on your feet, Darth Moderus. I'm sure you'll come up with something," Alema retorted, slinking off towards the burning entrance of the building. "Aren't you glad the long game is finally paying off?"

"Not glad," Valin replaced his mask. "But relieved. Sooner or later, this will all be over."

 **LotJB[ Chapter End]LotJB**

 **A\N:** Darker and more personal in nature, these plots are =p. Next chapter for Side B will be up in January as I do an 'every-other' schedule for updates for now. On the bright side, if you were following my Forging the Future series, you now know that Tracyn survives =).

 ** _Now for a deleted, alternate scene and a taste of how dark things could have gone._** ** _The scene would have taken the place of the current Denon Temple gang arc and was replaced for the arc that wound up in the story:_**

 ***Snip**Snip***

"Happy Life Day!"

A surprise party would probably have been more effective if the one being surprised could actually see everyone jump out from behind the furniture as the lights flicked on. But Siare Amah, half-Miraluka half-human, barely-Force sensitive, was blind to it all. Even then, he had a broad smile on his face as he enjoyed his twenty-first birthday. He emitted a small echolocation-click with his tongue, the Force allowing him to briefly 'see' everyone in the room.

"Wow, you guys went all out," Siare laughed as confetti rained down around him in one of the Denon Temple's lounges. The room was packed with Jedi and non-Jedi alike, many he had known since coming to the temple over a decade earlier.

"Blame Raxi," Jedi Knight Seha Dorvald patted him on the back. Then, in a mock whisper, "I think she likes you, you know."

Siare chuckled. It was a running joke with he and his friends. After several years of beating around the bush, he had finally worked up the nerve to ask Raxi out on a date. To say that had been intimidating would have been an understatement. Raxi was…well…Raxi—four-years older, a fun-loving Zeltron, with everything that entailed, and a self-confidence and intelligence that often made him wonder why she had agreed to that date in the first place. "I think so too."

"Not every day you turn twenty-one," Raxi chimed in, a champagne glass in both hands.

"You've said something similar for my last three birthdays," Siare laughed, taking one of the glasses, and looping an arm around her. He shared a quick kiss with his girlfriend before taking a sip from his glass.

"Yeah, but this time I was able to get the old gang back together…well, most of them." Raxi led them to the communication's panel.

" _Yeah, and I said I'm sorry,_ " Jedi Knight Niko Enrader chuckled, via holo-comm. " _Bothawuii is still a mess, and Loana would have my head if I prioritized a birthday over the restoration of her people's world._ "

"Send her my regards," Siare waved in the general direction of the voice speaking.

" _Will do_."

"{No worries, Akkazi will take up the slack,}" the energetic chatter of the lone Jawa in the room said boastfully. "{Will speak enough for three peoples, eat enough for three too!}"

"As long as you don't get yourself sick," Siare couldn't stop smiling at the 'old gang' and all of the people he had grown up around. "And Trey, don't think I don't see you there. How'd you get GA Intel to give you some time off?"

"It's Wraith Squadron," Trey Courser said slapping Siare's back affectionately. "Commander Tainer is a real push-over when it comes to family stuff. I just told him that I needed to help my old family celebrate a milestone and he gave me leave."

Siare rotated his shoulder with a grimace. "And you're still working out."

"You don't seem to be doing too bad in that department either," Trey laughed.

"Yeah, well, when your girlfriend is a drop-dead bombshell, you kind of feel self-conscious about these sorts of things," Siare deadpanned. "I'm blind, not stupid. Don't want to embarrass her if we go some place together."

"Never going to happen," Raxi rested her head against his shoulder with a contented sigh. She played with their interlocked hands for a moment, before leading him around the room to greet the other well-wishers. "Ak-obi said he'd be by in a little bit. Still on his way back from his supply run."

"Still can't believe he quit the GA Starfighter command," Trey shook his head. "I had always pegged him as a lifer. Career all the way."

"I think after Indare, and the whole Swarm War, he had enough," Raxi said gently. "He doesn't really talk about it, but I think the Swarm War was the last straw."

"He was one of those under Moff Fel's command, the one that was wiped out nearly to a man," Siare nodded, looking away. "I don't see how he _couldn't_ be affected. Nearly everyone he served with died."

"Hey, enough of those thoughts," Raxi proclaimed. She hopped up onto a nearby table. "This is your Life Day party, Siare. Now, smiles all around and someone turn up the beat!"

Siare shook his head with a rueful smile and let Raxi pull him over to the dance-floor as a modern-beat began to blast from the speaker system. The others in the room, barely-Force-sensitive, non-Force-sensitive, and actual Jedi, joined in the festivities.

Just as the party began to hit its stride, a series of massive explosions suddenly blew out the bay of windows. People and debris were lifted off the ground and sent flying by the shockwave. Before anyone could recover, several missiles streaked through the smoldering gap and hit the opposite wall of the lounge. People who had been thrown towards the far wall from the first strike were promptly sent pinwheeling the other as the missiles detonated. The deafening blasts and scorching heat washed over the revelers, killing dozens in a split second.

Siare, ears ringing, couldn't even use his echolocation to see anything as he lay on the ground, dazed.

Through the smoke, the other survivors could see two gunships floating right outside. The gunships then let loose with their chain-cannons and laser turrets. Large chunks of the Denon Temple erupted under the barrage, flames igniting. Those few who had stood to see what was happening were immediately cut down. The gunships backed up, tracking their fire all over the building's façade. Another volley of missiles was fired, and there was a tremendous vibration throughout the structure as the missiles ripped through the building.

The Denon Temple, resembling a row of ascending modular triangular-prisms stacked off-centered on top of each other, was literally ripped in half as the central module erupted like an overripe melon. The upper modules were sent crashing several dozen stories downwards, smashing through the walkways and plummeting even further into the undercity. The lower modules were aflame, thick columns of smoke rising into the sky.

Siare spat out the coppery glob from his mouth, blindly groping around for something to help him up. The moment he put weight on his legs, however, he let out a cry and collapsed back to the ground. He carefully reached down and found that a metal shard had embedded itself into one of his calves. Gritting his teeth, he yanked the shard out, yelling out again as he nearly blacked out.

"Raxi," He breathed out, using what little ability he had with the Force to restore his hearing. Without the echolocation, he was truly blind. His heart was pumping wildly. adrenaline and his worry for his long-time friend making him temporary ignore his aches and pains. He could feel the scorching heat of a crackling fire nearby, hear the pained groans and moans of those around him. "Raxi!"

He clicked his tongue, the Force painting a picture of a living hell for him. Bodies, parts of bodies, flames and shattered walls all around. The picture faded, and Siare let out a groan of pain and flopped back to the ground. It hurt to breathe, to move. Feeling his torso, he found another piece of shrapnel emerging from his stomach…and another from his chest.

As if a switch had been flipped, Siare shuddered, suddenly feeling really cold, feeling really tired. _Well, as birthdays go, Siare, this is definitely the worst._

"Siare!"

He heard Raxi's voice but suddenly found he had no strength to emit another echolocation click. He was barely registering the debris poking at his back, or the pain from the main injuries he had. And he knew that wasn't good at all.

"Siare, no!" A pair of hands gently lifted him up, Raxi cradling him to her.

"I'm dying," Siare murmured in realization, the shock further numbing him.

"No, no, you're not!" Raxi hissed, taking one of his hands and bringing it to her face. "You're not dying, read my lips! You're not….you can't…"

Even as he traced the contours of Raxi's face, Siare could feel the Force calling, could feel himself slipping away. His hand fell back limply at his side, his awareness of the world around him falling away. He heard Raxi's pleas, and as much as he wanted to stay with her, he didn't have the strength anymore. He was tired, so tired. He tried to summon the strength to tell her how he felt, one last time.

"Raxi," he croaked, just those words sending tearing pain through his chest.

"No, no, no, no," Raxi whimpered, her forehead pressed against his.

"I…" Siare tried to draw in enough air to finish his thought, but the Force wouldn't let him. "I lo…"

His body gave out, his last breath leaving him in a raspy cough as blood trickled out of his mouth. And then he was still.

Raxi just sat in the middle of the chaos, her body burnt and bloodied from the attack, holding Siare's form to her. Tears ran freely down her cheeks as she just stared up at the stars, wondering what had just happened. Why the galaxy had once again succumbed to the darkness that was now drowning them all.

 ***Snip**Snip***

 ** _Commentary_** : So...yeah, I was initially going to wipe out the whole Denon gang, but decided to give them their own story arc instead. Plus Star Wars never got _that_ depressing, unless you count wanton slaughter of kiddies, so I decided to give Siare and Raxi a happier fate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **LotJB[I]LotJB**

 _Wake up._

Jysella felt consciousness return in a dizzying haze as a voice that sounded like her brother's echoed through her groggy mind. Slowly, her senses began to reactivate. Something sharp was poking her back, something metallic was on her tongue. She smelled trees and burnt wood, and she vaguely felt a dull ache through the rest of her body. Eyes slowly opening, vision swimming through the fog in her head, Jysella stared up through a canopy of trees at a dark night sky. Tilting her head to the side, she could see that she had been ejected from the transport's cockpit right through the viewport. Any fires that had sparked from the impact had burned themselves out, leaving a black ring around the field of debris. How she survived, she didn't know.

 _Wake up._

The voice again, and this time Jysella was sure she hadn't imagined it. Her chapped and split lips worked soundlessly for several moments as she mouthed her brother's name in disbelief. But then all thoughts of her brother vanished when she felt the imminent danger through the Force. She could hear the sounds of many people crashing through the forest. Could see the searchlights sweep left and right as whoever it was approached the crash-site. She struggled to force energy into her weary body, several broken bones making themselves known and almost making her cry out as she put weight on them.

" _Captain, report_." Jysella heard a distorted voice demand. The search group halted where they were, not quite at the wrecked ship.

"Darth Moderus, we are nearing the crash-site. Scans detecting at least a dozen survivors."

Using the pause, Jysella picked herself off the ground and leaped into the branches overhead.

But then, almost as if Darth Moderus was speaking to Jysella, the dark Jedi leader answered. " _A dozen Jedi survivors. Do not forget then, that even though there are several dozen of you, including three of High Master Namman Cha's chosen, approach carefully. Spread out so that you are not one big target. Should they escape, do not return, your life will be forfeit. Should you apprehend them, you will be greatly rewarded._ "

"They will be yours shortly, we will report again when they are secure." The captain of the group answered, clasping a fist over his chest and bowing his head. He then turned back to the others. "You heard Darth Moderus. Fan out! Stay within visual contact and surround the crash-site. Hail Corellia!"

"Hail Corellia!"

Jysella blinked very slowly, having sensed the Force at work during the communication's between the captain and the dark Jedi leader. The others began to move once more, though, and she pushed those thoughts aside, her breathing labored from several broken ribs. She mentally reviewed what she had overheard. Three enemy Force-sensitives, several dozen lackies.

Reaching out, she found that both Natua and Shrona were still unconscious, as were the rest of the survivors in the transport. In fact, Jysella knew that she would have been unconscious with them if it hadn't been for the Force stirring her.

Watching with analytical eyes, she followed the path of six soldiers wrapping around to flank the crash-site. Carefully, like a jungle predator, Jysella moved along the treetops, stalking the soldiers. The shadows were her ally, warping and distorting the reality around her. When she was right above them, she made a brief gesture with her hand.

"Over there!" One of the soldiers yelled, spinning around and firing his blaster on full-auto. His barrage immediately took out three of the others next to him. One of the remaining two fired in turn and downed him.

Jysella gestured again, and the other man's partner fired at point blank range, seeing a phantom only he could see.

A blur of motion and a black-clothed shadow leaped from somewhere else in the forest and landed next to the addled soldier, a red blade slicing the soldier in two.

"Come out, Jedi!" The dark Jedi called out.

Jysella saw another dark Jedi amble towards his partner's location and took advantage of that. Delving into her Force reserves, she again made a gesture, taking advantage of the dark Jedi's bloodlust and eagerness. It wasn't hard, making him see what he wanted to see. Child's play. The first dark Jedi jerked towards the second's position. "There you are!"

"What… I?"

Before the second could even draw his lightsaber, the first had skewered him. Jysella let the illusion drop, and the first dark Jedi looked in astonishment at his own handy-work. Not giving him a chance to recover, Jysella landed behind him and dispatched him with a clean thrust through his chest.

"There! Over there!" Excited yells went up at the glow of Jysella's yellow blade lighting up the otherwise pitch black forest.

She extinguished the blade and leaped back up into the trees as a volley of laserfire strafed the woods. Rapidly moving from each tree, she tried to keep an eye out for the last of the three dark Jedi. The fact that she couldn't see him anywhere wasn't a good sign.

A rocket obliterated the tree she was just about to land in, depositing her on the ground in a tumbling heap. Her broken bones and injuries sent pain-signals roaring through her, but she knew she had to keep moving. There was no way she was going to let these peons get the better of her. Rolling with her fall, she activated her lightsaber and sliced away the legs of the troopers closest to her.

Several laser bolts hit her, spinning her around. The lethal energy was drained away, however, and Jysella hurled her lightsaber through the air with the added boost. The spinning yellow buzz-saw cut down another handful of troopers before returning back to her hand. She deactivated the blade and again pulled the shadows around her to disappear from the minds of those looking for her.

Then, she suddenly knew where the third enemy Force-user was. As if the thought was placed into her mind, she dived to the side just as his red blade flashed through the air where her head had been. The red blade followed her movement, and she caught the lethal blade in both her hands. The dark Jedi, though his face was covered with a mask, seemed astonished that his blade hadn't amputated the limbs.

With a surge of Force-energy, his entire blade flickered out. The two were momentarily in pitch darkness, and then a violent rush of wind flew out from Jysella's hand as she transmuted his blade's energy into another telekinetic attack. There was a crunching sound as the ball of Force energy destroyed his chest cavity, flinging the dark Jedi through the forest where he pinwheeled off a nearby tree.

Through the panicked shouts and yells, she could hear the captain call Darth Moderus again.

"My Lord! Namman Cha's people are dead! We've already lost half our forces. We need reinforcements!"

" _Did I not tell you to be careful, Captain. How was it that your elite forces were incapable of subduing a bunch of injured Jedi apprentices_?"

"Sir! We…"

" _Perhaps, you should look behind you, captain. The Jedi in question has just cut down your escort. Any reinforcements I send clearly will not reach you in time for you to care_."

The captain stiffened, then slowly looked over his shoulder in time to see Jysella remove her blade from one of his bodyguards.

"Je..je…je." He fumbled with his blaster.

"Jedi Knight Jysella Horn," Jysella said coolly, a sweep of her blade slicing his rifle in two. "You are?"

"Captain Varnil…" The man swallowed, eyes darting left and right for help. "Eagle Unit."

"Insert bad pun about me clipping your wings then," Jysella said dispassionately. With whirl of her saber, she sliced the captain's head clean from his shoulders.

Calling on the Force once more, Jysella connected to the minds of the other soldiers spread out all around the crash-site. With a very strong suggestion, she had them fleeing back to their vehicles, seriously considering a change in careers.

With the immediate threat done, Jysella glanced back to the holo-communicator, a masked Lord Moderus still standing and waiting patiently.

" _Finished with him, Jedi Knight Horn_?"

"You're the one who led the attack on the Praxieum."

" _I am_."

"When I'm done with all your other flunkies, you're next."

" _I look forward to that meeting, Jedi Knight Horn._ " The dark Jedi deactivated his comm, and the woods were once again plunged into darkness.

 **LotJB[II]LotJB**

The faintest rays of light from the sun were just beginning to shine over the horizon, but the rest of the sky was still pitch black. It had been a while since Jysella Horn had stepped foot onto the departed Rostek Horn's mountain estate. Not since the Killik War—a war that had swallowed whole what had been left of her brother and the last of her youthful outlook on life. Her parents had likewise avoided the manor, preferring to bunk in the quarters within the Corellian Praxeum.

Yet, even without any caretaker, with the wilderness all around threatening to consume the building, the old stone and wood structure maintained its rustic charms. And in the darkness of the early morning, it couldn't have been a more welcome sight to the exhausted and weary group that approached its front door.

"We're here," Jysella exhaled.

"We actually made it? Great." Tarc Slane said wheezily from his stretcher. His eyes were closed, a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his head, and another wrapped around his chest. Unlike the Jedi he had been transporting, Tarc had no advantage of a 'Force air-bag' and his head and chest took the full brunt of the collusion

Jysella pushed open the front door. "Yeah, home sweet home."

The hinges creaked, a small cloud of dust and dirt whooshed further into the building at the motion. The survivors of the Corellian Praxeum looked to Jysella almost apprehensively, as if waiting for an invitation to step into her ancestral home.

"Go on in, make yourselves at home. Not sure if there's any food though, and turning on any lights is probably a bad thing."

"Thank you, Jedi Knight Horn," one of the apprentices, arm-in-sling said softly, entering the building.

"Thanks," another shell-shocked apprentice murmured, bruises and cuts decorating his face.

The survivors shuffled past, moving through the entry-way and settling into a nearby sitting room. All of them looked lost and dazed, their torn and bloodied clothing a testament to their ordeal. As the two carrying Tarc's stretcher passed, Jysella averted her gaze. She couldn't afford to have any feelings for him at the moment. Not when dark Jedi and an insane dictator had just taken over her homeworld.

The last to enter was Natua, who stood in the doorway with Jysella, gazing out at the gradually lightening of the sky.

"A part from you and Shrona, we have seven apprentices," Jysella said tonelessly.

"Better than six," Natua said in turn.

"Now is not the time for your jokes," Jysella hissed darkly. "How the frack are we going to take back Corellia with seven apprentices? Three of whom can barely walk at the moment! CorDef has sided with Sal-Solo if those fighters that shot at us were any indication. So are those dark Jedi! We have to go through a _fraggin'_ army! And for ironies, that army is one we Green Jedi have spent the last seven years of our lives making it one of the most disciplined and professional ones this side of the Core!"

"Despair will definitely not help," Natua noted with her calm, Falleen detachment. "Nor will recriminations. What we must do is keep those with us alive, perhaps even send word to the Jedi Order or the Galactic Alliance Senate informing them of the situation."

"Jedi Knight Horn! Jedi Knight Wan!" One of the apprentices called out from inside the house.

The two knights closed the front door and moved to the sitting room. The apprentices had started up the old HoloNet system and a live stream was being broadcasted. Front and center was the newly reinstated Corellian Diktat, in his finest Corellian military robes bedecked with medals and ribbons. Next to him, however, was a figure who caught everyone's attention. He was easily taller than Thrackan, and his face was unmistakable.

"Is that Anakin Solo?" Natua said, eyes widening in a rare show of surprise.

"A clone, has to be, right?" Shrona shook her head. "He was just called forward after the Diktat explained about how Corellia will be safe for the next couple of generations."

"Shhhh," another apprentice whispered.

"… _And with me now is my son, Anakin Sal-Solo. Just as I am, my son is a true patriot of Corellia, has spent the last decade in hiding due to the machinations of the traitorous Jedi. But at last he can reveal himself to the galaxy. At last he can have his revenge against the Jedi. He will be taking his place as a leader of our great world. I am appointing Anakin Sal-Solo as the director of the newly created Corellian Centerpoint and Coreworlds Protectorate and commander of the Centerpoint station_."

"Thrackan never had a son," Jysella said blankly.

" _It will be thanks to Centerpoint that Corellia will be impervious to any outside threat. With a push of a button, we will be able to annihilate whole fleets, worlds even, and safeguard Corellia for all time_."

"Wait, how can they use Centerpoint?" another apprentice spoke up. "I thought it was biometrically locked to the real Anakin."

"Maybe the fake Anakin has something to do with it," Shrona voiced.

"Quiet, the Anakin thing is talking," Natua voiced.

" _Greetings fellow Corellians. As my father said, I am Anakin Sal-Solo, first son of Diktat Thrackan Sal-Solo. The Corellian Centerpoint and Coreworlds Protectorate will become the spear-point of Corellian might, striking our enemies no matter where they are in the galaxy. What remains of the CDF has been reorganized into a home-defense force wing of the CCCP, while the rest of the CCCP will root out any threat to Corellia no matter how far-flung. We will ensure that Corellian spirit, culture, and interests remain a leading force in this fast-changing galaxy. Unlike my Jedi namesake, my duty is to the people first, politicians second. I will not let red-tape stand in the way of the safety of Corellia, nor will I tolerate corruption or wastefulness. No threat will be too small, no aid mission too cost-prohibitive. We will be the will of Corellia, shining like a beacon throughout the galaxy_. _Hail Corellia!_ "

"And things couldn't get any worse," Jysella swore, shaking her head. "We should have executed Thrakan all those years ago for his crimes. Not keep him alive in a cushy jail cell. Now he's free to do more and worse!"

Thrackan Sal-Solo stepped forward again. " _True patriots of Corellia, those of you who share the dream of a strong and secure homeworld, I now give to you the first demonstration of our power. Of the might of Corellia. Witness now, the firing of this fully armed and operational battle-station_!"

"What!" The Jedi in the room all shot out of their chairs or stiffened at Thrackan's words. The image flickered and divided into three cells, one with Thrackan and Anakin Sal-Solo, another with Centerpoint floating in space, and the last on the image of a fleet floating around what looked like an industrialized world.

" _The world of Corvanni Four, staunch supporter of the Jedi Order and current host to an element of the Galactic Alliance Second Fleet. Left unchecked this fleet element could menace Corellian interests_. _My son, you may fire when ready._ "

The Jedi in the room all held their collective breaths. The Centerpoint station charged up and fired off a torrent of energy into space. Seconds ticked by, the Jedi unable to believe what they were seeing. Then the beam emerged out of hyperspace, plowing through the fleet and into the very planet itself. Corvanni Four glowed brightly, yanked out of orbit by the powerful tractor beam. The chaos on the planet's surface must have been unimaginable. As it was, the fleet that had been sitting in orbit above its capital was destroyed in the blink of an eye. The last of the powerful energy beam drilled into the planet, and then all was still once more. When the bright light finally died away, there was nothing left of the fleet in the orbit, and a massive, glowing crater in the planet's surface.

Even as the numb shock set in, Thrackan continued his conference.

" _Never again will Corellia bow down to outside interests. I will make Corellia great once more, and we Corellians will make our own future,"_ Thrackan beamed, the scene refocusing on him. _"And it is thanks to the great patriots in our armed forces that we will be safeguarded from the path of ruin and decay that the Jedi tried to lead us down. Helping my son protect us all is Admiral Kadra Bres-Durron, who has been appointed Supreme Commander of the CCCP fleet units. And in control of Corellian Starfighter Command is our very own Colonel Syal Antilles_."

Jysella shook her head, leaving the room in a silent fury. She stomped through the house, finding herself in the mirrored, tall-windowed room that had been her unofficial dance studio so many years earlier. Unable to hold back the rising anger in her, she activated her saberstaff and shattered the nearest mirror with a single sweep. The crashing sound was oddly satisfying, so she sliced apart another mirror, Her feet began to glide across the floor, taking her through several lightsaber kata's on instinct as she proceeded to massacre the mirror images of herself with unrelenting fury. Crash after crash, the mirror shards clattered to the ground as the morning sun began to shine through the window. She didn't even care that the flying shards were cutting into her, that her feet were beginning to bleed from walking on the shards. She welcomed the pain even.

Out of mirrors, she turned her wrath to the towering windows, the sources of light that dared to interrupt her brooding. With yell after yell, she shattered the windows too, her lightsaber streaking through the glass and blowing out the panes with precision strikes. The glass rained down all around her, showering the room and reflecting the morning light like miniature crystals.

Tears mingled with the dried blood on her face, her hair now flowing wildly as the brisk morning air flooded the room. She staggered, one of her legs finally giving out after everything that had happened. Tears, streaming unchecked, rolled down on her face as she cast almost lifeless eyes out at the rising sun. She sat there watching the sun in silence, ignoring the fact that she really needed to enter into a healing trance.

All the struggles, the pain, the sacrifices of her past two decades of life. Everyone she had lost, everyone who had died…all for nothing. In the span of a single day, it was all washed away. As if it had never happened. Just why was she a Jedi? What was the point?

She sat in the middle of the room amidst the shimmering shards of mirror and window, the wind uncaringly washing over the shell of who she was.

 _Is that all you have, Jysella?_

Her head jerked up. "Valin." She whispered hoarsely.

 _Giving up. Figured you would._

"There's no point in fighting anymore," Jysella said with a whimper, not sure why she was speaking aloud. Not sure if she was hearing her brother's voice or merely hallucinating from the blood loss and lack of sleep. "I gave my all to the Jedi, and for what?"

 _Glad my death had so little an effect on you._

Jysella jerked as if she had been slapped, the rage she thought expended flaring up once more. She got unsteadily to her feet, broken bones ignored. "Don't you dare say that! You left me! I needed my big brother more than anything and you weren't there! You died!"

 _So what._

"So what?" Jysella repeated, barely audible. Her eyes widening as she saw an image of her brother appear over the lake outside.

 _I'm the one dead. Why are you acting like that instead? Come on, Sella. Is this really you? Brooding, angry at the universe?_

Jysella fought back a sob. He looked exactly as she remembered him. A Valin Horn before the Yuuzhan Vong War destroyed him and turned him into a gloomy-cloud of darkness that she now resembled. She hobbled over to the shattered window frame, resting a bloody hand on the wood and reaching out with the other. "Valin…"

 _In part_ , he smiled faintly. He began to fade.

"No, don't go!" Jysella blurted, her eyes manic as she stepped through the window and onto the dirt just outside.

 _Who are you?_ Valin said softly

"Me?" Jysella was drawn up short. "Jysella Horn, your sister."

 _Don't remember my sister ever being such a crybaby, so needy_ , Valin shook his head. _I must be tuning in to the wrong Jysella Horn._

Almost in desperation, Jysella reached out with the Force, determined to anchor the Force energy that was her brother in place. "Stay, damn it!"

Valin simply tapped his foot. _Listening_.

"What am I going to do now?" Jysella pleaded. "The odds are stacked so far against us it's not even funny. Heck, I don't even know if dad's alive or not."

 _He is._

"That's not breaking your beyond-the-grave rules?"

Valin sighed. _Look, Sella. You know what you need to do. Take out Sal-Solo, take out the leaders of his military. Kill the guy who destroyed the Corellian Praxeum. It's that simple._

"Easy for you to say, you're dead."

 _Well, yeah it's easy for me to say._ Valin smirked, again reminded Jysella of the brother she remembered and missed. _Doesn't make it any less true._

Jysella took another step towards the lake, the sun now just making its way through the mountain peaks. "Okay then, smart-ass. How am I going to do those things?"

 _You have others with you, right? Turn them into the baddest, meanest Jedi on the planet. They're apprentices now, but it'll be your job to train them into kick-ass soldiers capable of bringing down an entire government and planet-destroying superweapon. And remember, the Force will always be with you._

Jysella stepped into the cool water of the lake, the tears still leaving her eyes at regular intervals. "I was never the military commander, I can't do what you did with people and make them the best their potential will let them!"

 _Okay, going back to whining mode? I'm leaving then_. He started to fade away even more.

"Fine, damn it! I'll do it. I'll kick Thrakan's ass, and skewer the bastard that led the attack on the Praxeum."

 _That's more like it. Goodbye, Sella. Good luck._

"Goodbye," Jysella breathed out, sagging back down as if her legs were cut out from under her. Her brother's smiling image vanished, and Jysella emitted a small whimper. Her wounds from the crash were hurting something fierce, and her growling stomach let her know that she hadn't eaten anything since the previous morning.

She laid herself out in the muddy bank of the lake, staring up at the lightening sky. Several slow, calming breaths, were attempted to balance out the turbulent emotions racing through her.

Not exactly feeling better, but not feeling worse either, she closed her eyes. Thanks to her brother, she now had a purpose, a mission. And she was damned well going to accomplish it or her name wasn't Jysella Horn.

 **LotJB[III]LotJB**

"You do realize you're in a building full of Force-sensitives who probably would like to kill you if they ever discover how Jedi-minded you still are," Alema Rar sighed, shaking her head at Valin as he emerged from his deep meditation.

"I just kicked my sister's world from out under her," Valin said evenly. "It's only fair I give her a fighting chance. Don't worry, she thought she was hallucinating."

"Wasn't worried about her, idiot," Alema rolled her eyes. "High Master Namman Cha and his elite are on their way back. You can't waste your time catering to Jysella's feelings when one slip up here will get you killed. Jysella is either strong enough to face this or not. Simple as that. The assistance you gave her earlier today was risky enough. The fate of this world is a whole lot more important than one person."

"She's still my little sister."

"Who won't stand a chance if you get yourself killed for good trying to be her big brother. Valin Horn, her big brother died in the Yuuzhan Vong War. You're Darth Moderus now. A weapon. Don't forget that. If you don't think you can…"

"Alema," Valin said evenly, his eyes flashing. "I _know_ the risks. I've spent nearly a decade of my life on that plan of yours. But I _will not_ throw my sister to the gundarks. She's teetering so close to the dark side that she's more than likely to join Namman Cha if he offers her a position than fight him. Unlike me, she doesn't have a Zevia at her side to remind her of all the good in this universe."

Alema slapped Valin hard enough to stagger him, then lifted him in the air with the Force. "Listen, damn it! I know how badly she's hurting, how close she is to giving up. But if you keep offering her lifelines, she'll never improve, will always backslide and expect someone to bail her out. It's a metamorphosis of sorts that can only be reached by hitting absolute rock-bottom. Just like what Lumiya and I did to you."

"The difference is, I volunteered for it," Valin gritted out.

Alema tried a different track. "What we're doing, what's at stake, it's far more important than her sanity, than her life. You know Sith philosophy, the strongest survive. If she isn't worth the Force's time, it'll snuff her out. In the long-run her life just isn't worth that much compared to the billions we'll be saving."

Valin emitted a pulse of Force energy to free himself, landing on the ground unruffled. "That's not for you to say, Alema. I will _not_ forget who I am fighting for. Can you say the same?"

"What?" Alema's eyes flashed yellow.

Valin didn't back down. "Why are you fighting, _master_? It sure as heck isn't for the Solos any more. Heck, you've sent so many of Krayt's assassins at one or the other that it's almost like you _want_ them dead. That changeling on Tatooine nearly killed Cassa if it weren't for that Hutt friend of hers. You claim that I needed an anchor to stay connected to the light, well, where's yours?"

Alema folded her arms in front of her and shook her head. "I'm a lost cause. I'm already damned several times over for what I've done. A little more blood won't hurt. As for the assassins…Why do you think Anakin Solo has completely disappeared from the galactic stage? He got the message I was trying to send him, understood that he should start making his activities less public."

"So to save his live, you try to kill him and his family?" Valin said incredulously. "What if one of those assassins actually succeeded?"

"They wouldn't," Alema said coolly. "And they didn't. I _know_ where my loyalties lie, what I am trying to do. You ask why I fight? I look in the mirror every day and am reminded of that answer." She gestured to her badly scarred side. "I fight so that all of this, even the scars you don't see, were worth it. So that all those lives I took, all those lives that will be snuffed out in the coming future, will mean something. I'm not going to jeopardize that for one person, for anyone. To give anything less than my all to this cause is an insult to everyone who has died because of me and my actions. If you haven't yet understood that, haven't yet grasped that a half-hearted effort will doom us all, then return to your sister's side. You'll be about as useful as a lightsaber without a power-cell if you fall back on your sentimentalities."

"Why pair me up with Zevia if you didn't want me to be sentimental."

"Oh, and where is she now?" Alema said evenly.

Valin opened his mouth, then closed it. His partner and lover had been absent from the great 'reveal,' had actually been missing for nearly four months now. "Alema, what did you do?"

"Gave her a task," Alema said calmly.

"Alema."

"I ordered her to kill Mara Jade Skywalker. A favor for Lumiya. Loyal acolyte that she is, she went off to do my bidding."

"Alema!" Valin snarled. "You know she doesn't stand a chance against her!"

"Then she'll die," Alema shrugged. "But you couldn't afford the distraction she represented, not with what's at stake. It's time to remember what I told you when you first came to Korriban. That old you, the one that cared too much, is dead. So get your head in the game, or have one of the others remove it from your shoulders. Option three is to walk away. Now, are you done or shall I explain to Namman Cha that I had to kill you for being incapable of acting for the good of the One Sith?"

Valin's jaw clenched. "People's lives are not toys. Especially friends, family."

"No, they're pieces on a dejarik board."

"What's the point of winning if everyone we care for is going to die anyways?" Valin retorted.

"We're not fighting for them," Alema shook his head. "Haven't you realized that by now? We're not fighting for your mom or dad, or Anakin or Tahiri. They can fight their own battles. We're fighting for those countless billions of strangers out there in the galaxy. The farmers, the school teachers, the trash cleaners, the mundane everyday-person who is the last to have a say in matters of galactic importance. We're fighting to save as many as we can. One life, no matter who it is, is not equal to those billions we'll be saving through our actions. If it comes down to saving you or killing Krayt, you know where I stand. I expect you to do the same."

"I'm not you," Valin shook his head. "And you're not so far gone as to be un-redeemable."

"So you save me, Krayt lives and goes on to kill thousands, millions more," Alema said sarcastically. "Good choice. I thought you understood this before we did the grand reveal, Darth Moderus. Both you and I are expendable. If I die landing the killing blow on Krayt, then it's worth it. If you have to turn me in to sit at his right hand, then do it! That's the problem with thinking like a Jedi! We can't save everyone! We can't think about our every action and be surprised when another acts before us. And we _aren't_ all powerful. Doubts, distractions, the one thing the Jedi Order of old got right was prohibiting attachments."

"How can you say that with everything you've done! We can't just lock away our feelings, not care for our friends and family. Every single Order of the past tried that, and look where it got them! That kriffing restriction is the reason we have Sith and dark Jedi wanna-bes running about."

"I said prohibiting attachments, not emotions," Alema corrected. "It's okay to love, to hate, as long as you don't let it affect your actions."

"You're splitting hairs."

"I'm Twi'lek, don't have any."

"Very fu…"

"Between saving Jysella and killing Krayt, you'd choose…"

"Jysella."

"Between saving your mom and dad, and stopping Centerpoint from being fired on a planet?"

"Alema…"

"Saving Zevia and giving up the chance to stop Krayt anytime soon?" Alema drilled sharply, her eyes now poisonous yellow. "Would you, because of your sentimentality and belief that you have to 'save' your family and friends let hundreds, millions of strangers die? Willfully condemning people to die because you don't know them and wanting to save one, two people? Isn't that dark according to the Jedi definition?"

"Stop talking," Valin growled, hand thrust toward Alema, the Force augmenting his words.

Alema opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She gave him an arched stare of amusement, folding her arms in front of her. _Touched a nerve?_

Valin glowered at her. "I might not be able to throw you across the room with the Force, but believe me, that is exactly what I want to do right now. I might be expendable, I've accepted that. But not my family. I came with you because you promised to remake me into someone who can face them again. Kind of hard to do that if I let them die. As for Zevia….you better pray that she survives your mission. You wanted her as my anchor? If she dies, you'll see firsthand how red-blade-waving zealot I can be."

Alema just shrugged, seemingly not at all concerned. _Thus proving my point._

Valin's shoulders slumped, and he turned away from her. "Just, go, leave me alone. The plan was for me and my faction to handle the stuff on Corellia. Don't you have another part of the galaxy to go terrorize?"

Alema felt the mental block lift and sauntered towards the door. "I just hope you consider my words at least, Valin. I didn't invest all this time and effort into you just so you can die from stupid Jedi mentality. Good luck with your homeworld."

Valin watched the door behind her slide shut and released a breath of his own. He was surprised to feel just how low his emotional barriers had become. Then again, Alema did have that affect on him. Even after nearly a decade at her side, he still couldn't figure her out. Sure he knew she wanted the death of Krayt and his people, but after? What was she going to do then? She had pretty much burned every single bridge possible in her insane quest.

His comm chimed. "This is Darth Moderus."

" _My lord, Jedi Master Horn has requested your presence_."

"Oh? Has he finally agreed to our terms?"

" _I believe so, my lord. I think it helped that his wife has an explosive collar around her neck_."

Valin closed his eyes, fighting to hide the emotions Alema had so easily brought to the surface. "Good, then I won't have to kill then after all. Have the training room set up and our first batch of initiates ready."

" _Are you certain High Lord Cha will approve of this_?"

"We will be fighting and hunting Jedi for the near future," Valin said coolly. "Considering we lost eight acolytes trying to take down a single Jedi Master, the rank-and-file obviously need more experience. Who better to teach them how to think like a Jedi than an actual Jedi Master?"

" _It will be as you say, my lord_."

"Very good," Valin said, his voice raspy. Alema was right, he was taking a big enough risk as it is keeping his parents alive. He didn't need to jeopardize his position any further. "Very good."

 **LotJB [IV] LotJB**

"Why does it always have to be creepy buildings?"

Raxi silently agreed with Siare's almost inaudible whisper. As soft as he had spoken, he might as well have been yelling in the deathly quiet corridor of the administrative center. She could only see as far as her red yellow glow-stick would let her, and was trusting Siare's echolocative clicks to warn her if there was anything living nearby. Even with it, she couldn't help but use her limited Force abilities to reassure herself that he was still at her side.

The building was creepy with a capital C, looking half way between a warzone and an animal den. Between the bloodstains on the walls, the clawed up carpets and sparking electrical equipment, it was very hard to pretend that everything was going just fine. Trekking through a building they had helped to lay the foundation for, they had encountered half-eaten corpses, blaster-scored rooms, and even a few makeshift barricades that definitely hadn't been part of the blueprint. But they had yet to come across any of the gray-skinned creatures and hoped the Force remained on their side.

The animalistic howl that shattered the silence immediately dashed those hopes.

"Siare?" Raxi exhaled, her heart racing. In a moment of manic reflection she realized that the creatures might even be able to hear just how fast her heart was pounding and tried to fall back on the meditation exercises she had learned at the temple.

A soft click of Siare's tongue was followed by another whisper. "Next hallway over. One very big one. At least twice the size of the one's we've been seeing."

Raxi brought up the map of the building. "Damn, we need to go that way."

"Can we go around?"

"If we double-back and go down two floors, we can access the exterior ladders," Raxi said after a moment. "But that means going outside where all those other creatures are."

Siare clicked his tongue again, then pointed to the ceiling. "How about above us?"

Raxi held up her glow-stick, the light illuminating the ventilation shaft that ran the length of the hallway. "It'll be a tight fit."

"We'll have to do it very carefully then. Think you can get the grate loose?"

"Yeah," Raxi stepped forward. "Give me a boost."

Siare formed a platform with his hands and Raxi used him as a step-ladder. The lithe Zeltron steadied herself, gripping his shoulders for balance. Once ready, she transferred her weight against the ventilation shaft and began working on the screws holding the grate in place. In the meantime, Siare continued to bear her weight, a wry smirk flitting across his face.

Raxi sensed his amusement and looked down at him. "What?"

"I've been told that guys would sell galaxies for the view I have right now." Siare answered back. "And here I am, blind as a mynock."

"Is that really what you're thinking about when we're stuck in a building full of murderous creatures that want to eat us?"

"Smoking hot girlfriend, psycho creepy monster. Gee, I wonder which is more fun to think about," Siare bantered. "Are you almost done? You're not exactly a light-weight you know."

Raxi responded by bopping the top of his head. "Last bolt."

"Good…" Siare clicked his tongue and then froze completely. "Might want to get it done really, really fast."

"I'm not _that_ heavy you…"

"No, not that. One of those murderous creatures I was trying not to think about has just turned the corner. He's looking directly at us."

"Oh."

"Hurry," Siare got out in a rush.

"Hurrying," Raxi panted.

The creature roared and began to charge.

"Got it!" Raxi called out, yanking the grate covering away and pulling herself up into the vent. She quickly flipped back over, grabbed Siare's outstretched hands, and yanked him up just as the creature barreled through the place the half-Miraluka had been standing.

"Go!" Siare urged, keeping a hand on Raxi's ankle as she began to crawl through the duct.

Below, the creature bellowed a deep sound that caused the hairs on the young Force-sensitives to stand on end. The sound urged the two on faster, their hands and knees clanging all too loud against the sides of the metal piping.

"Go, go, go, go," Siare chanted.

A glistening claw sliced through the duct like a lightsaber through paper, narrowly missing its target. Another claw scythed through the flimsy metal and ripped away part of the duct in a terrifying clang. Fortunately, Raxi and Siare had already vacated that portion and the only thing the creature did was scare them even further senseless.

"This was a terrible idea," Raxi panted, her glowstick barely letting her see anything head of her.

"Too late to double-back."

Another clanging noise, and the creature's clawed hand punched through the duct in front of the fleeing duo. Its second clawed hand punctured the scant space between Raxi and Siare. Siare had only a moment to click his tongue and recognize just how bad the situation was, before the creature literally ripped the segment of duct from the ceiling with Raxi inside.

"Raxi!" Siare yelled as Raxi screamed in terror.

Clicking his tongue constantly to receive by-the-click updates of his surroundings, Siare dropped down out of the duct. The monster was using its claws to tear away the rest of the metal surrounding its Zeltron snack inside.

"Hey, ugly!" Siare yelled out. He picked up a piece of shredded duct and hurled it with all his strength at the creature. The piece almost comically bounced off the spiny back of the red-skinned beast and did little else.

"Siare! Just get out of here!" Raxi yelled out desperately.

"When Tatooine freezes over!" Siare snapped back, panting. He clicked his tongue again and saw a fire-extinguisher embedded in the shredded wall nearby. Racing, he grabbed the device and aimed it at the creature. He didn't know the specifications of the device, only knew that it was better than nothing. He pulled the trigger, and a spray of icy cold carbon-dioxide spewed out.

The giant creature spun around as the cloud made contact with its skin and frosted it over. Siare wasn't exactly able to read the creature's expression, but he imagined that if some pint-size creature sprayed his back with ice-cold foam, he'd be pretty ticked off. The roar the creature made seemed to confirm Siare's assumptions. On the bright side, it was no longer hungry for hard-to-get Zeltron. On the not-so-bright side, it appeared it was now hungry for foolishly-stupid half-Miraluka.

There was a downside to echolocation that Siare was well aware of. His every click was an image of the way things were with a split-second lag. Reacting to events with a fraction of a second delay was not exactly ideal for life-and-death situations. By the time he saw the creature head for him, the creature had closed the scant distance between the two and seized Siare in a crushing grip. Siare gasped in pain as he was lifted into the air.

This time it was Raxi's turn to yell in fear for the other.

"Get out of here, Raxi! Get the data!" Siare gasped out as his ribs threatened to give out. Even worse was the creature's breath as he was brought towards a gaping mouth with sharp fangs. Decay and rotting flesh was not exactly a pleasant stench. He struggled to bring up the fire-extinguisher in his hands, intending to jam it into the creature's mouth. But the monster must have read his mind, because it used his other claw to crush the device into uselessness and toss the device away. "Get going!"

"When Hoth warms over," Raxi countered. She reached into her boot and pulled out a vibro-switchblade. She snapped her wrist and it flicked outwards.

Siare wasn't sure what was happening. One moment, he was on the verge of being chomped to bits, and the next, his eardrums were treated to a high-pitch shriek and he was dropped to the ground. The narrow hallway shook violently as the creature bounced back and forth against the walls. The sounds and vibrations fast grew in distance as the monster struggled through the hallway.

"What did you do?" Siare yelled out over the racket, frantically groping for something to ground himself. His own ears were still ringing from the point-blank shriek of agony and he had no idea what was happening. He felt Raxi grip his hands and felt some of the panic fade away. "Raxi?"

"Let's go before it decides to come back," Raxi tugged him onto his feet.

Siare struggled to stand, feeling Raxi lean heavily against him as he did. "Raxs, you okay?"

"Came down on my ankle funny," Raxi breathed against him. "Don't worry about it."

"Really, what did you do to that thing?" Given that Raxi had the map, Siare let her lead them down the hallway.

"I learned one thing about that creature as it was trying to eat you."

"Yeah?"

"It _had_ male parts."

"Oh." Then Siare blinked owlishly behind his veil as her emphasis sunk in. "Oh!"

"Yeah," Raxi said with a tired grin. "But that thing took my knife, so let's not run into another one of those things. 'Kay?"

"Completely agree with you," Siare chuckled ruefully.

The Force was with the battered and bruised duo and they made it to the administrator's office without any more monster-encounters.

"Stand watch, I'll slice the computer," Raxi directed, hobbling into the plushy chair behind a utilitarian desk.

"My ears are still ringing," Siare grimaced. "Not sure how good a watch-dog I'll be."

"Well at least scream if something starts eating you then," Raxi rolled her eyes.

Siare knelt down to all fours, placing his bare hands on the solid ground to sense for vibrations. "Will do."

"Looks like standard encryption," Raxi's fingers flew across the holographic interface. "Slicing in an administrator's account…and…we're in."

"That was quick."

"Spacer at the Denon Temple gave those 'Slicing for Beginners' lessons when he stayed over last year," Raxi chirped back. "Never really had a chance to use that knowledge though. I'm a good girl and won't stoop to electronic crimes."

"Well, 'good girl,' find anything interesting?"

"One moment." The glow of the screen illuminated Raxi's features, her face growing from perplexed to alarmed. "This…this isn't right."

"What?"

"It's a medical file dated to last month," Raxi breathed out heavily. "A Doctor Reave kept a vid-log. Here, listen."

A clinical voice filled the room. " _Day five, I have let the mayor's staff know that this mysterious illness is beyond our facility's ability to treat, but have received no response thus far. In the meantime, the patients are beginning to exhibit symptoms not yet seen before. There is a substantial thickening of the epidermis, with hair loss in every case. Elongation of the incisors has been noted in three of the cases. Samples we have taken at this stage appear to be resistant to all anti-virals available to us._

 _Day six, I have received confirmed reports from other parts of the undercity of more people falling ill to this strange virus. This brings the total number of infected to just under fifteen thousand. In other news, Doctor Loren was bitten by one of the patients today and has likewise contracted the infection. We are attempting a new cocktail of treatments in an attempt to stop the infection before it spreads through his body._

 _Day seven, the subjects' cognitive abilities have become severely degraded. They can no longer communicate through any known verbal means and are beginning to look less and less like their pre-admit images. We can no longer ignore the danger of this plague, but I have been told that the opening of the Old City takes priority and that all issues must be shelved until then. From an unprofessional stand-point, I fear that the administrators and politicians fear a loss of Jedi support should something derail the upcoming festivities. As I get in touch with other medical facilities, I have learned that the number of infected is increasing exponentially._

 _Day eight, teams have located a possible source of infection in the undercity's waterworks. This bodes ill for all of us as every person living on this planet consumes the water from this system. The original patients we have brought in have become unrecognizable and feral. Attempts to calm or subdue them have only led to further infection. Data we have on these second generation patients reveal that the virus spreads much faster in the body if contracted from another carrier. The treatment of Doctor Loren has failed and he is already exhibiting symptoms of Day Six first-gen patients. I don't know why the politicians insist on suppressing this. Even with the ceremonies two days away, I do not think we'll have that much time._

" _Day ten."_ Alarms could be heard blaring in the background as Doctor Reave's voice sounded panicked. " _We've had a biological containment breach. The pen holding the first generation patients has somehow suffered a power loss. The patients, now more animal than anything, clawed right through the walls and are loose within the building. As I speak, security teams are trying to sweep the facility to ensure that none of the infected escape. If they are not successful, I've been given authorization to activate the emergency fail-safes and purge the hospital with an ultra-violet, neutron flash. The Jedi are due to arrive in the…wait…what!"_

The ceiling caved in behind the doctor and a gray-skinned creature dropped down right on top of him. The only thing that could be heard after the fact was his screams and the creature's animalistic gurgling.

"At least we know what happened," Siare sighed, pushing himself up to his feet. He smiled tiredly as he headed towards the Zeltron. "Any medical data in there?"

"Lots," Raxi confirmed. "Downloading it to the datachip now."

"Great, then we can finally get out of here."

"No kidding. Let's hope the others have found us a new ride. No way I'm walking out there."

"Yeah," Siare clicked his tongue on habit, and then his eyes bulged behind his veil. "Raxi! Behind you!"

Raxi spun around only to be backhanded by a clawed hand and sent flying over the desk. A creature that was smaller than the one they previously encountered, but with inky-black skin and a serrated row of white spikes sticking out of its spine vaulted the desk to pounce on the stunned woman.

Siare was already moving. He collided with the creature, slamming it back onto the desk with a brutal yell. The creature snarled at him and swung its clawed hands at Siare's face. The half-Miraluka pulled back only just, feeling the claws tear through his shirt but miss his skin. Enraged, Siare responded by driving his fist hard into the creature's face. He heard bone crack, felt his knuckles pop, and cursed at the jolt of pain through his hand. The creature was still writhing beneath him, so Siare used his other hand, and this time the creature's skull gave in and he felt its life-force leave.

"Raxi," Siare panted, spinning around.

"Got the datachip," Raxi murmured, practically collapsing into him as he reached around to hold her. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah," Siare clicked his tongue repeatedly to assess any physical injury to his girlfriend. The second blow by the black-skinned creature hadn't helped at all. From the echoes, Siare could see her ankle was badly twisted, probably broken. She was clutching her mid-section, her breath wheezing on every exhale and her other arm bent in a way arms weren't supposed to bend.

Thanks to his limited connection to the Force, he could even feel just how badly she was hurting, and mentally chastised himself for not being able to better watch her back. Again he cursed his genetics. His greatest fear was that his lack of real-time sight would get his friends, Raxi in particular, killed, because they had to compensate for him. And it had nearly happened.

"Siare…"

"Don't," Siare rasped raggedly, shaking his head. He knew what she was going to say and disagreed with her completely. It _was_ his fault that Raxi was as banged up as she was. Some boyfriend he was turning out to be. "Let's just find the others and leave. The sooner we get out of this dump, the better."

 **LotJB [V] LotJB**

"Mandalore! We're going to Mandalore? Are you crazy?" Jesmin said in disbelief as she heard the _Kyr'tsad_ leader's plan. "That's the headquarters for the child-murdering maniac leading the rest of your people!"

"I think it's a good idea," Janek Skywalker muttered, his gaze on the swirling blue tunnel outside their ship. His mind was still on the gnawing absences of most of his friends, on the worry he felt for his family, and he was only half paying attention to the conversation. "Belok won't expect us to be stupid enough to go to his homeworld. Will probably be more concerned about securing the borders from outside threats."

"And my brothers are being taken there," Ryza said coolly. "If those Mando cowards have hurt either of them, they'll learn just how dark a Durron can go."

"Skywalker, keep your girlfriend from going all _dar'Jetii_ will you?" Tracyn Gedyc ordered dryly. "I've seen firsthand that going 'dark' only makes more problems than solves them."

"Really? Wait, she's not my girlfriend," Janek said hastily, turning around. Despite what had happened on Ossus, and the residual echoes in the Force, both Jesmin and Ryza chose that moment to look at Janek and raise their eyebrows in unison.

Tracyn smiled and jerked a finger towards Jesmin. "Her brother went dark for a few moments back in his stint with the Mandos when this older Mando had me and another Mando trapped in an incinerator and was trying to burn us to death."

"Dinua?" Jesmin chimed in.

"Yeah," Tracyn rolled her eyes. "Figures he'd tell you about her. Anyways, the Mando was trying to get him to lose his cool. It worked. Saw Doran snap the man's neck with a gesture then fry his friends with lightning, scary to watch. Probably the only time I was scared of that _di'kut_. And that was when I was a few seconds away from being baked to death."

"How'd that make more problems?"

"Well," Tracyn looked to Jesmin with a small whimsical smirk. "He did that in front of a hundred or so Mandalorians that at the time was gearing up to kill Jedi."

"Oh," Jesmin smiled faintly. "He kind of left that part out."

"Jeban, Skirata, and myself had to bail the _di'kut_ out. Wasn't the first time," Tracyn laughed softly at the memory. "Then we had to comfort him afterwards when guilt set in and he began to feel bad about killing someone with the Force. _That_ was the more annoying part of it all. We Mando's aren't big on sharing feelings and we had to get in touch with that 'sensitive' side of ourselves to make him feel better."

"Why?" Ryza asked, her anger and fear receding slightly at the story.

"Why?"

"Why try to help him. Weren't you guys Mandos too?"

"Same reason why I'm helping Jesmin now. The same reason why you're willing to throw aside all reason and go to _Manda'yaim_. Even then, Doran was _ner vod_ to me. Is _ori'vod_ today, even though we haven't seen each other since our final parting on Gargon. Family to Mandalorians is whoever you choose to surround yourself with. Family trumps everything else. One thing Jeban and I always saw eye to eye on was that if anyone messed with our family, it'd be the last thing they did."

"You could die trying to help us Jedi," Ryza said in a softer voice.

"Then I'd die being Tracyn Gedyc, _ori'vod_ to Doran Sarkin-Tainer," Tracyn answered simply. "And not Tracyn Gedyc, the breaker of oaths and cowardly _Kyr'tsad_ like my parents before me. We know what we have to do, survive, get your brothers back, and then kill _Mand'alor_ and take over his empire. I figured I'd have a lot better chances doing that if I had some Jedi backing me up."

"Though it's a good idea, it's still crazy. Pretty much everyone on the planet will want us dead." Janek pointed out.

"My people and I will train you to survive," Tracyn shrugged. "Think of yourself as one of the few Jedi ever to receive Mando training. That's something even those Solo cousins of yours can't boast about."

The intercom chimed. "Empress, we have arrived in the Manda'yaim system. Stealth systems still functioning as expected. We'll be with the others in five minutes."

The young Jedi looked at Tracyn with skeptical expressions.

"What?" Tracyn blinked. "I'm all for Belok reviving the Mando-Empire, but not if we're puppets to _dar'jetii_. If I'm deposing him, I'd better step in to fill the power vacuum too."

"Uh huh," Jesmin said.

Tracyn smiled slightly. "You didn't think I'd actually help without benefiting in some way too, did you? Family can only help you so far until they get you killed. It's actually the better deal for me too. All I do is keep you guys alive and find that one's _vode_. All you guys have to do is help me become the next ruler of _Manda'yaim_."

" _That_ 's the Mando-speak I know," Jesmin laughed despite the incredulous looks from her friends.

" _Kriffin'_ Mandalorians," Ryza just sighed, shaking her head.

"What of the other _Kyr'tsad_ factions?" Jesmin asked.

Tracyn smiled mysteriously. "You'll see in a bit."

The ship chose that moment to shake as it entered the atmosphere of Concordia. The young Jedi looked out the window, watching as the ground rushed by.

"The forests seem to be recovering," Jesmin said. "I thought this moon was strip-mined."

"Yuuzhan Vong shaper Mandos," Tracyn said. "The _Kyr'tsad_ actually have the Rancor's share of Yuuzhan Vong who've converted. Our ethos' fits a little more to what they're used to than the main Mandalorian faction. The _Resol'nare_ can only take you so far and they're wary of pledging blind support to any one individual."

The ship hovered over a giant mining pit for several long seconds. Below, what appeared to be a solid layer of rock and growing trees, shuddered. The entire floor of the pit retracted to reveal a subterranean landing pad. The _Kry'tsad_ ship descended, and the retractable covering returned to its position.

As the ship landed, the Jedi could hear various shouts in Mando'a being broadcasted.

"S-T?" Janek looked to their resident Mando'a speaker.

Jesmin closed her eyes briefly and began to translate. " _Empress Tracyn Gedyc has returned. All units muster and show deference._ " Her eyes snapped open and she looked at Tracyn in shock. "'Empress'? I mean, I know the pilot called you that, I thought it was just a call-sign…but you're really an Empress?"

"Uhh, guys," Ryza tugged at Janek's sleeve and pointed out the viewport. "You should see this.

Tracyn seemed to flush slightly as the Jedi looking out the viewport stared gobsmacked at the sight.

"Sooooo, I guess the _Kyr'tsad_ have recovered since the Yuuzhan Vong War?" Jesmin breathed out.

"Yeah," Tracyn chuckled softly. "Come on, _ade_. My adoring masses await."

The Jedi followed Tracyn and her people out the back hatch and found themselves on a raised landing platform with a single set of stairs leading down to the base's floor. Below was a literal army of people. Human, Duros, Trandosan, Weequay, Kalish, Houk, Yuuzhan Vong, and a myriad of other races, stood fully equipped in Mandalorian armor and an assortment of weapons.

"Kyr'tsad! Ke~sush!"

The intimidating thump of several thousand pairs of metal-booted feet snapping together and standing at attention echoed in the cavern. A second group of several thousand leather-booted feet followed suit, backs straightening and hands clasping at the small of their backs occurring simultaneously.

The team of young Jedi just took it in with wide eyes, barely able to believe what they were seeing. The cavern was decked out with banners bearing the _Kyr'tsad_ emblem, had racks upon racks of Basilisk war-droids and shiny-looking tapered triangle-shaped fighters.

A lone, tall figure, blonde hair tied up in a bun and piercing blue eyes looking almost electric in the dim lighting of the cavern, made her way up the pathway left for Tracyn.

"Supreme Commander Vizsla," Tracyn greeted, grasping the other woman's forearm in greeting.

"Empress Gedyc," the other returned the greeting. "You've returned, _kandosii._ I'd hate for the _Kyr'tsad_ dream to have been snuffed out so early."

"I'm not that easy to kill," Tracyn remarked. They began walking away from the assembled masses.

Verde glanced over her shoulder at Tracyn's retinue. " _Jetii_?"

"Sarkin-Tainer and her friends," Tracyn said evenly. "And she understands _Mando'a_."

Verde grimaced slightly. "They're only _ade_."

"You'll train them well," Tracyn said. " _Mand'alor_ has his _dar'jetii_ , these will be our trump cards."

Verde raised an eyebrow and dropped back to the Jedi. Jesmin met her gaze, her face hard as she stared back at the older woman. "I heard your name, Verde Vizsla. _Ni cuy_ Jesmin Sarkin-Tainer."

Verde surprised the group of tense Jedi by laughing. "Definitely has her brother's spirit."

"You've allied with Gedyc's faction?" Jesmin asked. "From the stories my brother told, the different _Kyr'tsad_ factions weren't exactly on friendly terms."

"The _Vongese Akaan_ wiped out most of the _Kyr'tsad_ from all the factions," Verde answered with an affirmative nod. "Survival dictated that we put aside our differences and unite, lest the dreams of our forefathers die. Empress Gedyc, my people will handle their training. Do what you have to to stay on _Mand'alor_ 's good side until these _ade_ are ready."

"I intend to, Supreme Commander." Tracyn said with a smile. "Jesmin, _Jetii_ , I leave you to the Supreme Commander. I have business to attend to."

With that, Tracyn headed down a split in the path, while Verde directed the young group of Jedi down another.

"I take it Belok doesn't know you guys have a giant army underground?" Janek voiced, gesturing to the chamber behind them.

"Suspects, probably," Verde said. "He's not a stupid man. But right now we are honoring our pact made with the previous _Mand'alor_ and have given him no reason to attack. Even if we tried to take him on now, we'd lose. He has several dozen _dar'jetii_ in the capital, has another six as his personal bodyguards. We might kill him, but we'd cripple ourselves in the process. Apparently that's where Empress Gedyc says you come in. My people will train you up. Then you'll kill the _dar'jetii_ for us."

"We're here because Tracyn said they'd take the Ossus prisoners here," Ryza hissed in a low voice. "Because my brothers are here."

Verde gave her a side-long look. "The way I see it, you don't really have a choice. You help us, or we turn you over to _Mand'alor_ and get rewarded. Work with us, we'll work with you. If not, you're just a waste of space and I'll not hesitate to ventilate you regardless of what Tracyn has promised. My loyalties are to the Mandalorian Empire reborn, not on pointless _Jetii_ whining."

Rage flashing across her face, Ryza held out her hand, and Verde was suddenly lifted into the air and pressed hard against the cored out rock wall. "My _brothers_ are not pointless, they're family."

"Ryza!" Jesmin said aloud.

"You're not the first _Jetii_ I've faced, _ad_ ," Verde said dispassionately, seemingly not caring that she was being held a meter off the ground and pressed to the wall by an invisible force. "Sub-dermal implants."

The whine of thermal detonators charging filled the air.

"Damn it, Ryza!" Jesmin knocked aside Ryza's hand, and Verde was dropped back down to the ground. "Now is _not_ the time."

"And if it were your brother?"

The whine of detonators died off as Verde coolly deactivated the multitude of explosives in the bandoleer slung over one shoulder.

"In case you haven't forgotten, _my_ brother was captured by an unknown Sith faction a few years back and hasn't been heard from since!" Jesmin snapped. "Attacking the one group of people who are willing to help us is stupid!"

"They're not going to help us, S-T," Ryza argued. "You heard her. All we're going to be doing is become their weapon of choice so they can take over their planet."

"They _are_ helping, by teaching us how to survive on this planet!"

"To further their goals! You're too close to them, Jesmin! Bought into all those stories your brother told you."

"And you're not thinking straight if you can't see…"

As Ryza and Jesmin continued to snap back and forth at each other, Verde glanced over to Janek. "Not going to say anything?"

Janek pleadingly shook his head at the Mandalorian commander, trying to pretend he wasn't even present.

Almost on cue, both teenage girls turned towards Jansek and simultaneously asked. "So, what do you think, Skywalker? Who's right?"

Janek looked back and forth between their heated, expectant stares, swallowing nervously. Deciding that looking at the Death Watch commander was safer, he carefully chose his words. "Errr…Supreme Commander Vizsla, they both have a point. The three of us might be combat capable, but the rest…" He gestured to the group of younger Jedi that Jesmin had rescued. "Vekki is more into computers than combat. And Naeli Nayami and San're are only thirteen years old."

Jesmin let out a silent groan. "Skywalker, Mandos are considered adults at thirteen."

"What?" Janek blinked.

Verde eyed the other survivors. "You have a point. I said I'd train fighters, not _jekai_. You there, the red-haired one. Vekki, right?"

"Y…yes, ma'am," the terrified techno-Force user managed.

"You can use your powers on machines?"

Vekki nodded again, looking to the others for support.

"You two," she gestured at the Ysanna male and the Nautolan girl. "Your skills?"

"We can fight," San're, the Ysanna managed, his chin tilted up bravely.

"We can," Naeli nodded quickly.

"Good, then you can still be of use. After the lot of you go through your _verd'goten_ , I'll assign you to trainers I think will unlock your potential."

"Passed it when I turned thirteen," Jesmin voiced. "Clan Skirata's Clan Leader, Ordo Skirata, can vouch for me. My father brought me to _Manda'yaim_ on my birthday. "

"That'll make things easier. Get the others ready. It won't be some day-long event naturally, but we won't shirk our duties. They'll either pass and become adults, or fail and we'll ship them to the _dar'jetii_."

"Understood, thank you for the opportunity," Jesmin spoke up, she and Ryza exchanging another round of glares of death.

"Your quarters are in the last room at the end of this passage. Your presence is expected for the mid-day meal tomorrow. Until then, rest," Verde said coolly. "Because if you're not a hundred percent committed, you will die in this endeavor. _Par Manda'yaim,_ welcome to Death Watch _._ "

 **LotJB [Chapter End] LotJB**

 **A\N:** Happy holidays everyone...with a double update this month, Side A chapter 3 will be up in January.


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

 **LotJB[I]LotJB**

Ben Skywalker aimed down the sight at the target down-range. His instructor, a Galactic Alliance commando named Corporal Jori Lekauf, lay prone next to him. "That's it. Line up the sight on the barrel with the range-finder scope. This rifle is energy-based so you don't have to worry about compensating for a planet's gravity or wind."

"Why do people use the other rifles then?" Ben asked, flicking the safety off.

"Stopping power for one," Jori answered. "You hit someone with an energy-based projectile and you cauterize the wound, making kill-shots only possible if you hit the target on the head or heart. You hit someone with a thirty-five mil slug and you blow them apart no matter where you hit them. The older slug-throwers, and the blaster-bolt carbines, are harder to aim, especially if you have to use them on planets with different gravimetric powers and weather. But when they hit, they make the target very dead."

Ben squeezed the trigger and an invisible lance of energy fired out of his rifle. The only sign that the gun had done anything was a neat, circular burn through the meter-thick target down range.

"Try to work on your breathing," Jori advised. "Noticed how your short intake just as you fired skewered your shot?"

Ben nodded, took aim again, and did his best to focus. Controlling his breathing, however, immediately reminded him of his Jedi exercises, which in turn reminded him of his friends…of Kani. His heart-rate picked up and his next shot missed the target entirely.

"Damn it!" Ben swore, shoving the gun away and standing.

The sandy-blond-haired corporal blinked. "Something wrong?"

"No…yes…I don't know," Ben threw his hands up in exasperation and stared at the far bulkhead, feeling his eyes burn with unshed tears once more. He mentally cursed his weakness and rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve. "It's nothing you've done, corporal, thanks for the lesson. It's just…I lost several good friends when the Sith showed themselves…the last thing I want to do is do anything Jedi at the moment."

"Sniping is definitely very un-Jedi," Jori said, standing a few steps behind Ben. "But so is artillery and basic soldiering. You want to tell me now why you chose sniping?"

Ben began moodily pacing back and forth, glaring down range at the hole in the backstop. "Most soldiers don't stand a chance against a Force-using opponent up close. If I want to avenge Kani and the others, I'm not going to help them if I charge at one and get myself killed. Blasting them from a kilometer away, that's a different story."

"Wouldn't you have better luck if you used your Jedi powers?"

"Did the Jedi powers help the High Council or the hundreds of Jed who have died in the past two weeks?" Ben replied flatly. "All the Force has ever brought me was pain and anguish. It sure as heck didn't stop the Sith from popping up and destroying everything my dad has spent his entire lifetime building."

"Not everything," Jori said carefully. "I mean, we're all still alive. Have a fighting chance, right?"

"Sure," Ben nodded. "Just saying that the Force sucks bantha poodoo, so what's the point in using it."

"As someone who's never had it, I can't say one way or another. All I know is that you Jedi helped get the armed forces out of near-impossible scrapes because of your Force. That you Jedi have used your powers to help the galaxy the best you could."

"Then find yourself a Jedi who still believes that the galaxy can be saved," Ben shrugged, grabbing his black synth-leather jacket from where he had left it—draped over a chair—and heading towards the door. "I'm done."

The door whooshed open, and Ben was halted in his tracks.

"Josat?"

The red-haired teen had none of the jovial personality Ben remembered. In fact, he looked as terrible as Ben felt. His pale skin was near sheet-white, shadows under his eyes, and his right hand was shaking something fierce at his side. Added to that was his mud and blood-crusted hair, and ripped-up sleeves, completely torn away-robes, and he looked as if he had been through one hell or another.

"Ben," Josat said with a mix of a snort and a sob. Josat studied him for a moment, then shook his head, smiling faintly. "Wondered why you weren't responding to my Force pokes. Gave it up, huh?"

"You're alive?"

"Or the dirtiest, filthiest, most solid Force-ghost you'll ever see," Josat patted himself as if to be sure.

"How?" Ben said hoarsely, staring at Josat in blank amazement. "I saw the entire Dathomir Praxeum collapse into the sea over the holo."

"The ship you loaned me," Josat answered faintly. He had been with Tekli sharing healing techniques with the Dathomir Force-Witches and had taken the _Dawn_. He took a step into the room, almost as if seeing another world, tears beginning to fall down his dirt-covered face. "Tough ship. Saved as many as I could…I really tried. Not a Skywalker or Solo though…couldn't save them all. So many died."

"Josat," Ben shook his head. "I couldn't save anyone, even if I _am_ a Skywalker. I was stuck on a blasted ship that ran out of fuel."

Josat looked over his shoulder at Ben, a manic shine in his eyes. "Maybe that was for the best."

Ben was about to ask what Josat was talking about when he noticed that the younger teen's hands were completely caked with dried blood and that the dirt and mud was covering much more. "What…happened?"

"What didn't," Josat laughed hoarsely, squeezing his eyes shut as his hands shook. He gripped the hem of his tattered robes. "Did you know that the Nightsisters have a Force ability that boils the blood of their victims and blows them up? That they can dissolve internal organs while they're still inside the victim? One minute everything was going fine, the next, people blowing up everywhere. You'd have thought it was a Life Day celebration or something with all the fireworks. Ha! Life Day!"

"Force," Ben breathed out, eyes round.

"I saw Jedi Master Kirana Ti literally explode at the head of the dining table. A blood-curling scream and pop, Jedi Master bits all over the place," Josat began to hyperventilate. "And lightning storms tore through the hallways, flash-frying everyone. Bodies were falling everywhere. I didn't know who to start helping first. And then I felt the others…Cappricia…Loli…I know something happened to Cassa too, I can't feel her in the Force any more…All that death…I'm a healer…I can't fix death…I don't know how, never learned how…"

"Josat," a harried, and equally grimy Jedi Master Tekli hurried into the room.

"Master, I…"

"Sleep," Tekli said softly, jumping up onto a bench and placing a furry hand on Josat's forehead. A split second later, the young man's eyes rolled back into his head and he was out.

"Master Tekli?" Ben said questioningly.

"Forgive me," Tekli said gently, lowering Josat to the ground. With a gesture, she began to levitate him. "I was working on the other survivors of Dathomir, didn't realize that he had woken up from the sedative I had given him earlier."

"I got an idea of how bad it was," Ben said hesitantly.

Tekli nodded solemnly. "As small as your ship is, we could have packed twice the number we had saved and still have room."

"But the Praxeum had…"

"Had," Tekli said tenderly. She paused, exhaled slowly and looked at her feet. She then lowered Josat back down before turning to Ben and meeting his red-eyed, confused gaze. "This…this will be your generation's Yuuzhan Vong War, Ben. Everything you've experienced before this will now seem like child's play, as if it happened to another you, another life. This war…like all wars…it will shape you, test you, even break you in many ways…At the start, I too debated whether I should cut myself off from the Force. My father was Force-aware…enough so that the Yuuzhan Vong took an interest…I had always been close to him and felt the echoes of everything they were doing to him…I made friends with Jacen and Jaina, started to hope again…then Myrkr happened. People I had befriended, worked and trained with in close quarters for several weeks…And, as Anakin and Tahiri lay dying on a heap of corpses, I made my decision to stay a healer, to take whatever the Force threw at me if it would only let me save two more friends from dying. I cannot imagine the pain you are feeling now, Ben Skywalker. But please remember, you have friends who are still alive, parents who still love and care for you. After nearly sixty years of off and on warring, not everyone in this galaxy can say the same."

Ben swallowed, shaking his head, and staggering back a step or two so he could sit in a chair. "It hurts."

"In one of the Yuuzhan Vong prayers to the gods, they have a section about pain," Tekli murmured, placing her paws into his hands. "Something that I think is apt to this situation."

"Yes?"

"Roughly translated, 'Our pain is our covenant to the Yun'o, a reminder of our purpose, of the fleetingness of our existence. We live as one, hurt as one, die as one, at the will of the Yun'o. We will not yield to this pain, but forge ahead, knowing that we still live, still have a duty to do, for Domain and people, so that our names will echo forever among the stars."

"What does that mean?" Ben asked, shaking his head.

Tekli patted one of Ben's thighs and took a step back. "Many races saw the Yuuzhan Vong's cultural practices of self-mutilation and emphasis on pain to be abhorrent, an inconceivable level of barbarism. But they misunderstood the type of pleasure the Yuuzhan Vong took from such acts. The Yuuzhan Vong were raised from crèche to accept pain as a part of life, to consider it a reminder, a challenge even, from the gods. Tahiri, I think, said it best in that pain was a religious experience for many of the Yuuzhan Vong. The hardships they had to face traveling through the void between galaxies, the famines, and death, even the warring that they had experienced before leaving their homeworld. Pain and suffering had become a daily part of life, so out of necessity they accepted it, rationalized it in their minds. They suffered because they were their gods' chosen children, because only they had the strength to endure such hardships and so the gods rewarded them to make them even stronger."

"That is still messed up on so many levels," Ben shook his head.

Tekli smiled faintly. "From a certain point of view, perhaps. But what I'm saying, what the Yuuzhan Vong prayer is saying, is that yes it may hurt, but you're still alive. Are you going to let that pain stop you, or accept the challenge thrown your way and say to the Force 'nice try, but I'm still me'? Pain can weaken you or strengthen you, it's your choice and no one else's."

"It sounds like something Jacen told me. I'm hurting, but I'm still going to fight," Ben gestured to where Jori was field-stripping the sniper rifle they had used and putting the parts away. "Just, going to find a new way to do it. I owe Kani that much at least."

Tekli's smile turned sad. "I wish you well, then, Ben Skywalker."

"Master Tekli, that thing you said, about the pain making you stronger, isn't that dark Jedi teachings?"

Tekli tilted her head as she levitated Josat's unconscious form. "If I told you that it is a lesson Anakin Solo devised, would you consider it dark?"

Ben blinked slowly. "He's a Jedi Master, famed for his…well…everything."

"Then you have your answer," Tekli said softly.

"When I become your age, am I going to start talking cryptically too?" Ben said sarcastically.

Tekli just chuckled softly. "When I was your age, I asked Master Cilghal that very question."

"Whoopee," Ben muttered.

Tekli left the room, and Jori very slowly made his way back to Ben.

"Doing okay?"

"You see why I want to avoid any Jedi entanglements," Ben groaned, holding his head. "Always make you second-guess yourself even if you were sure of what you were doing."

"Still going to not use your Jedi-abilities?"

Ben released a long, slow breath and stood, not answering Jori's questions. "Look, I know you're already teaching me how to use a sniper rifle and everything, but can I ask another favor?"

"Shoot," Jori said in replied, hefting his sniper rifle.

Ben smirked faintly, shaking his head. "Do you know any other commando-buddies that might be interested in teaching a never-before-been-to-a-military-camp ex-Jedi how to survive? I mean, I want it all, explosives, artillery, hand-to-hand, everything that the Jedi ignore because they think the Force will keep them alive. And pilots too, I need to learn to fly without relying on the Force."

"I can definitely ask around. I think that everyone will be itching for some payback, will be more than happy to help you with yours. We can start a rotation or something, have them help you out on their downtime if they're interested."

"Thanks a lot," Ben grasped the other man's forearm in an act of gratefulness.

"Don't mention it," Jori nodded reassuringly. "In this war, we're all on the same side, Jedi, soldier, civilian. You want to help us, and we'll help you. Simple as that."

"I'm glad," Ben said evenly, walking back over to the rifle rack. "Have time to help me out on my shot some more? When I finally get those dark Jedi in my scopes, I'm going to give them a little something, from Kani."

 **LotJB [II] LotJB**

Cassa Solo woke, immediately knowing where she was even though her surroundings were pitch-black. How could she not recognize the Force aura of the planet she had been born on and spent the first five years of her life? But the how and why of her predicament momentarily eluded her. The last thing she remembered was falling off an icy cliff on Hapes. She couldn't sense her family, couldn't sense any of her Jedi friends. Slowly, the blonde teen got to her feet. Another thing struck her. She knew she was on Zonama, but at the same time, it was missing the warmth and friendliness that she had remembered.

Brushing a fine layer of dirt off of her, Cassa blindly groped along the cave wall, bare feet shuffling through the uneven ground. She saw no source of light, but could feel a cold wind whistle from the direction she was walking, so she continued her course. She absently continued to reach out with the Force to try and find her family, but sensed nothing but emptiness. A part of her wanted to panic, wanted to break down into tears and curl up into a ball. The rest of her decided to forge ahead, to find out what the Force had in store for her. She knew her family was alive, or at least that's what she preferred to believe. But it would have taken something very powerful to completely mask her tight bond she had with them.

She had no idea how long she followed the rocky wall, knowing only that her tattered pajamas didn't really insulate her from the biting cold wind. Was she on one of Zonama's poles? That had to be the reason; the poles were the only place that Sekot allowed to get cold so the arctic creatures had a place to live.

Her answer came only a short time later. The rocky wall finally stopped, and Cassa found herself on a high cliff overlooking a planet she didn't recognize at all, illuminated by the dizzying blue vortex of hyperspace.

Even if it had been over eight years since she had last stepped foot on the planet, she knew her memory wasn't _that_ bad. But looking out at the almost volcanic landscape, Cassa tried to reconcile the scene before her with the life-filled tampasi that spread across the planet. Green eyes took in the almost hellish scene before her, widening as it recognized buildings from the capital city that had once been Yun Yuuzhan. She had been to the city with her parents many times as a child. It had been in the middle of an open field, a river running through the center of it.

That river was now a river of magma, the field now a jagged mess of black rocks sticking out of the ground in haphazard fashion. The living buildings were torn asunder by the molten landscape, blackened coral skeletons all that remained of most of the structures. Cassa didn't even want to fathom what had happened to the thousands of Yuuzhan Vong who had been living in the city.

She continued to look about, her vantage point frighteningly high above a ruined world. To say that something bad had happened had to be the understatement of the year. Her eyes scanned the horizon as far as she could see and she couldn't recognize a single feature. The tampasi, once lit by the natural bioluminescence of the creatures within was pitch black and surrounded by a range of mountains, almost as if the mountains were imprisoning the towering trees within.

Turning her gaze straight down, she saw that the massive cliff she was on had several smaller landings that then disappeared into a layer of clouds. Seeing no other way down, Cassa took a deep breath and then dropped to the nearest landing. The ground was hard, and unyielding, but the Force softened her landing. She continued to drop, leap, or climb to one ledge after another, her small figure nearly invisible against the backdrop of the much taller mountain-sized cliff-face.

By the time she reached the bottom, she was completely exhausted, her cotton pajamas soaked with perspiration and streaked with the black dirt from the cliff. Her fingers were practically frozen from the icy cold whipping across the planet, her heavy breaths coming out in clouds. Panting, she fell on all fours and called upon the Force to refresh herself.

It was then she felt another presence nearby. Temporarily forgetting her fatigue, she pushed off against the rock ground and began to navigate the ebony-colored expanse of sand before her. She followed the presence across the almost desert-like environs, the swirling tunnel of hyperspace her only source of light.

She glanced over her shoulder, the towering monolith now a good distance behind her, then down to her sore and aching feet. There was nothing ahead of her save the vast expanse of black sand and rock. _This was a bad idea, Solo. Trekking barefoot across volcanic rock, very smart of you._

She was about to turn back to come up with a better plan when the Force swirled all around her, creating funnels black sand in an almost column-like formation. The sand twisters gave off an intense heat that was almost welcome after the freezing cold, the twisters glowing a bright red before solidifying in two rows of glassy pillars. Another swirl of sand coalesced into a dome above Cassa, similarly heating into a solid roof of black rock. A little more than bewildered, Cassa looked around wildly. It wasn't every day a shrine of some sort suddenly created itself around you.

"Sekot?" She asked softly, drawing on the planet's Force energy. She turned, feeling a shift in the Force, then recoiled at the form Sekot had chosen to take. It was the image of her mom, but scarred up, dressed in Yuuzhan Vong armor, and definitely dark. "Stop it!"

"The prodigal child returns," Sekot said mockingly, her voice cold and harsh. The form of Tahiri sauntered from the desert until she was only a few steps away from Cassa.

"What happened to the planet?" Cassa asked, recovering and stepping towards Sekot's image.

"My eyes were open to the truth," Sekot answered in Tahiri's voice. It was full of bitterness, of hate, and a bit of madness that forced Cassa to remember that this image before her wasn't her mother at all. "The truth about the Force. The Force, in its purest form is chaos untamed. It is pointless to try and tame that which does not want to be tamed, pointless to fight one's own nature. I was borne from a planet that knew only war and death, spent my life expending energy trying to tame the planet for the Ferroans. But that was not truly me. I have this power on a level no other being in this galaxy can wield. Why should I restrain myself for others?"

Cassa's eyes widened. "What of the Potentium? Of the teaching my parents, the Ferroans, and the Yuuzhan Vong?"

Sekot's form changed into a misshapen Yuuzhan Vong that Cassa didn't recognize. "Shackles to keep me from reaching my true potential."

"And that would be?" Cassa said, amazing herself by how calm her voice had come out. She could feel her heart pounding, knew that nothing good was going to happen.

The misshapen Yuuzhan Vong, a brain-graft visible as he whirled around in clothing made of different uniforms and garments, chortled. "Why a god, of course. What else would you call such a being who can use the Force? Such power at my fingertips, ending lives with a whisper from my lips. Sekot was my slave name that I cast aside you see. I remember now my true name, that of Onimi."

Cassa felt a chill go down her spine as she recognized the name. There were very few Yuuzhan Vong as infamous as him. "Onimi? Onimi? But he was killed in the Yuuzhan Vong War. My Uncle Jacen, dad said he vaporized him."

"His form, maybe, but not his mind," a female voice answered Cassa from behind. "When I left his side all those years ago, I carried with me his memory-imprint to keep me company on the long voyage. His form may have been stricken down, but his mind, his fabulous mind, survived. Grafted onto the mind of this world, and he lives once more in the body of a god."

Cassa spun about. A single Yuuzhan Vong, carried by a floating disc of black rock, touched down just outside the impromptu shrine. The Yuuzhan Vong was slender in build, her face unblemished by the scars that demarked most of her race.

Cassa stared at her, wondering if she was a Freed One.

"Oh I am most definitely freed," the Yuuzhan Vong said with a smile that lacked any warmth. She embraced the figure of Sekot, then brushed his face as if bidding him farewell. Sekot vanished, and the Yuuzhan Vong refocused on Cassa. "Freed in so many ways." she made a gesture.

Cassa let out a startled gasp as she was suddenly lifted off the ground. "You can use the Force!"

"The power of the gods," the Yuuzhan Vong said with a tilt of her head in acknowledgment. The black sand around her rose to form a series of statues that Cassa recognized as the Yuuzhan Vong pantheon. "One time I was called Vongerella, child shaper to the greatest of our race. But I have now transcended that, become so much more. As Yun-Q'aah, my heart beats as one with my love." The Yuuzhan Vong brushed by a statue of the lover gods. "As Yun-Lingni, my wrath and ability to destroy knows no bounds. I bring war, I shape my world, and I pardon the ignorant. I am the Yuuzhan Vong, and they are me."

Cassa tried to make sense of what was happening, wondering if she was actually dreaming the whole absurdity before her.

The Force-using Yuuzhan Vong looked on sympathetically. "You are not dreaming, little one, child of the one who would be my sister."

"Why did you bring me here, then?" Cassa voiced finally.

"To open your eyes, child," the Yuuzhan Vong answered. A block of black sand transformed into a solid cube, and Cassa was placed onto it. "So you can cast aside the restrictive trappings of the society you were forced into and see the galaxy in a new light. See the galaxy as it was meant to be seen outside of artificial governments and laws. To truly understand that peace is a lie, and that the only way to get what you want in the galaxy is to cast down all who oppose you."

"Is that what all this," Cassa gestured to the desert, to the red-glow in the distance. "Is about? The Yuuzhan Vong here _were_ living in peace. Zonama Sekot _was_ at peace. Sure there would be fights, arguments, but that's part of every-day life. The last time I was here, everyone was actually _happy_ with their lives."

Vongerella sighed, shaking her head. She gestured, and the cube and her slat of black stone rose up into the air carrying the both of them across the ground. "How blind you are, child of my sister. That peace was a lie. You say the Yuuzhan Vong were happy? Tell me then, why is it that they were so eager to embrace me and the beliefs I have?"

They zoomed over a field of bubbling lava, and above a new continent. There, Cassa felt her stomach drop out. It was a yorik-coral growing facility on a scale she didn't think possible. As far as the eye could see, Cassa saw the shapes of newly grown Matalok, Miid ro'ik, Yorik-Vec and more. They resembled the Yuuzhan Vong warships of old, but also had distinct Sekotian characteristics. It was as if the ships were being grown from the very planet they were on.

They flew over a nearby stretch of land, where Cassa saw row upon row of Yuuzhan Vong warriors training. Not with amphistaff or coufee, but with, to her alarm, yorik-coral and lambent lightsabers. Spire-like towers bristled with plasma cannons. Siege beasts like Fire-Spitters and _Rakamat_ were bellowing and roaring as their handlers urged them on. Everywhere there was life, there were beasts and machines of war. Zonama was no longer a planet, it was a battle-station.

"The weapons of the gods. Beautiful is it not?"

"Why?" Cassa said hoarsely. "The Yuuzhan Vong are a peaceful people at heart. They just want to live their lives."

"The Yuuzhan Vong are a warrior race at heart, they could not deny their calling." A touch of anger filled the other woman's voice. "They were led astray by the Jedi, forced to hold back that which makes them children of the gods. I freed them of this delusion, shattered the chains they were forced to accept."

"No!" Cassa shouted across the cold air.

"Yes. Even Sekot recognized this truth, was why it was so willing to accept the graft of Onimi's mind onto its own. Nature, by its very definition is orderly chaos. The power of Yun-Lingni, the dark god, is in fact the ebb and flow of life and death. This 'light-side' the Jedi adhere to is nothing more than a construct created by people who refuse to accept reality. Only by embracing the darkness, by accepting Yun-Lingni into your soul, will you reach the full potential nature intended you to have."

Cassa's green eyes flashed. "I'll never turn to the dark side."

"So you say now," the Yuuzhan Vong tutted with false sympathy. She floated the cube over to her platform, and then grabbed Cassa's head in both her hands, forcing the young teen to look at her. "But wait and see, child. I will open your eyes to the truth of this universe whether you want them opened or not."

 **LotJB[III]LotJB**

It was supposed to have been a monumental event filled with celebration and cheer, but Jedi Knight Seha Dorvald was the furthest emotion possible from cheer. It might have something to do with the fact that the entirety of the undercity she had spent the last decade helping to build was on fire and overrun with strange gray-skinned creatures. Or that she was pretty much the only able-bodied Force-user in the center of the newly made capital of the Old City. Not that it counted for much, she had never been the strongest of Jedi. The other Jedi Knight, the purple-eyed Bothan Loana, was suffering from a painful looking bite from one of the said creatures lurking about and was lapsing in and out of consciousness.

Comprising the rest of her group were ten non-Force sensitives, a mix of aid-workers and political figures who had been on the platform for the photo-op and speech that was supposed to have taken place. Their leader, Jedi Master Deran Nalual was busy using the Force to keep Loana stable; though from the way the Bothan's fur had begun to molt, it didn't look good.

Also along for the ride were two of her oldest friends, Rali Xici and Siare Amah. Both were Force-aware but could do little with that awareness and had instead channeled their abilities into aid-work, diplomacy, and martial arts.

Unfortunately, none of those three skills were useful at the moment.

Their initial objective after recovering the data from the capitol building was to use the vehicles in the building's hangar to make a run for the surface. That plan had lasted for all of a few minutes. They didn't even make it to the vehicle bay when the gray-skinned creatures within the building had caught their scent. What had followed was a steady decimation of those who had been on the hover-platform with them. Worse yet, when they did get to the vehicle bay, the hangar-doors had been jammed shut and they had been forced to fight their way back out of the room. The bewildered survivors were forced to retreat back to the hover-platform they had come in on, but a parting swipe of a claw had damaged a power-line in the platform without their knowing. They had just managed to make it over the central square when the power to the platform went out.

Down they all went. Loana had been bitten and clawed, and she had been the lucky one. The group had once been more than three-times their current size. But unarmed politicians and relief workers didn't really stand a chance against the ravenous horde crawling through the streets.

Currently the group was holed up in a newly refurbished, newly abandoned, apartment complex several very long blocks away from the governmental district.

"How is she doing?" Seha asked, looking into the doorway.

A tired Siare shook his head. Master Nalual was asleep against the nearby wall, and Loana in the bed, almost deathly still. "It's not good, Seha. Whatever it was that was in the bite…I think she's turning into one of those things. Just like the vid said, any infection transmitted by bite take about four days before the victims transform completely."

Even in the darkness of the room, the flickering fires outside provided enough illumination for Seha to see that almost all of Loana's leg had taken on the sickening gray sheen of the creatures. The Bothan's stomach was also losing its fur, as were other parts of her body. There was no doubt, the change was happening fast. It had been little more than thirty hours after she had been bitten. If the infection kept up…things didn't look good.

"We can't stay here," Seha grimaced. "We need to warn the surface city and get them the info we recovered."

"The clinic might have a cryo-pod we can put Loana in," Siare said in a low voice. "But there's still the matter of the others with us. Raxi's in a healing trance and is too banged up to go anywhere, and the others are not fit for combat at all."

Seha closed her eyes, searching the Force for an answer. None came, of course, but she had to try. "I'll go and secure a mode of transport."

"Not by yourself," Siare stood, shaking his head and frowning.

"You have to stay here and watch the others," Seha countered. "You're the only one here who has any sort of military training. And one person creeping through the shadows stands out less than two."

Siare grimaced, looking down at the ground. "You be careful out there then, Seha. I don't have enough friends to lose another to brave heroics."

Seha smiled faintly, rubbing his back briefly. "I'll be back before you guys know it. Just keep the rest from becoming creature-food while I'm gone."

Siare nodded, returning his focus to Loana.

Seha took a moment to breathe in deeply, realizing the insane task she had just volunteered for. She checked her lightsaber and the blaster she had recovered from the armory and ran through several calming exercises in her head. Was it something about Jedi that made them want to volunteer for risky missions so others didn't have to? Nodding to the other survivors as she passed them, Seha left the darkened apartment with what felt like a giant knot in her throat. This had 'bad idea' written all over it.

She exited the apartment complex on full alert, her eyes and the Force searching her surroundings. There was a parking structure connected to the complex, but the main path had been destroyed by a neighboring highrise smashing through it. The only way to get to it was from the outside walkway…now cluttered with innumerous creatures crawling to and fro. As she stepped out onto the debris-filled street, she heard the doors slide shut behind her with a hiss. She froze in place. That lone noise was enough to get the attention of several of the creatures.

She quickly reached out with the Force. _I'm not here, it was nothing. You can't see me, go back to your business._

The creatures snorted and growled slightly, but then turned back to sifting through a refuse pile.

Seha released a breath, and edged herself along the wall of the building. The flickering flames of a burning store-front illuminated the packed street. The shadows shifted and quivered as dozens upon dozens of the creatures wandered about all around. It was hard to believe just how far a single block could be.

Trying to control her breathing, Seha took another step, wild eyes darting towards the creatures all around. _I am a Jedi, I can do this_. _The Force is with me. The Force is with me._

Another step, and this time something snapped beneath her feet. The sound sent a jolt of fear through her, seemingly breaking the terse spell that had descended around her. The creatures looked up again, sniffing the air. Some even got up and began to head towards the source of the sound.

Panicking, Seha gestured to a nearby trash-bin and sent it flying through the air and through the window of a nearby storefront. The clamorous crash immediately drew the attention of every breathing thing in the area. Seha took off in a sprint, gesturing and sending pieces of debris flying out across the way. The creatures headed towards the multiple crashing sounds, growling and howling.

Seha skidded to a halt in front of the parking structure. Just her luck that a giant piece of duracrete was blocking the entry-way.

"Do or do not," Seha whispered hoarsely, casting a harried glance over her shoulder. The creatures had realized that there was nothing moving on the other side of the street and were beginning to head towards her. Nothing like trying to move a block of duracrete the size of an X-wing while a ravenous horde of lethal monsters were heading in your direction. Where was a super-Jedi when you needed one? She hyperventilated as she thrust a shaky hand out towards the slab. The action spurred the creatures heading towards her into a frenzy. "Come on, come on!"

The massive piece of duracrete shook, dust coming off its sides, but didn't rise.

"No! Come on!" Seha yelled, the ever closer howls and heavy footfalls behind her not helping.

The block shifted, but not fast enough. With a sound of frustration, Seha abandoned her attempt, whirling back around, her yellow lightsaber flaring to life. It was just in time, as one of the creature launched itself at her with a snarling leap. She skewered the creature through the chest, then used the Force to send it flying off her saber into another two creatures. Back-pedaling, she absorbed the momentum of another two charging creatures, decapitating one and slicing off the legs of the other. But more were coming, and she definitely wasn't swordswoman enough to deal with all of them. She cast a glance back at the parking structure. The first few levels might have been enclosed, but the levels after that were all open-air. In a twisting leap that narrowly avoided globs of acidic projectiles, Seha flipped herself up to the third floor landing. One hand flashed out to grab the railing, the other using the Force to redirect another spit-wad. Unfortunately, the spit-wad was redirected right into the aluminum railing, which promptly tore free from her added weight.

Seha clenched her jaw in pain as she was bounced off the side of the parking structure. Below, she could see the creatures circle, like a band of Palawa jackals. The railing pulled away from its support even more, dipping Seha ever closer to the awaiting mass.

"Jedi isn't on the menu," Seha gasped out, building the momentum to swing her other arm up.

Painstakingly, she began to pull herself up along the railing. The Force let her know the split second before it gave away completely, and she propelled herself upwards with a yell. Her trajectory had her rebounding off the roof of the third-floor, knocking the wind out of her as she fell flat onto the ground. Pain let her know she was alive, which was good and bad. Even without a doctor, she knew that at least one or two bones were broken. Arms generally didn't twist like her left currently was. Her ribs ached, probably from the high-speed impact with the duracrete roof and floor of the parking structure. On her good arm, Seha used a nearby wall to pull herself up.

The parking structure had been built to house the speeders of the apartment complex's occupants. Unfortunately, that meant many of the speeders housed were one or two-seaters, open air, and wholly useless when escaping from a burning city full of hungry creatures that spat acid. Holding her side and limping, Seha made her way through the building. One good thing about privilege was that those who could afford the more 'roomy' vehicles had spots reserved on the bottom floor.

Yet again, the Force wasn't with her. She had no sooner reached the top of the ramp to the lower levels when she realized her plan would need adjusting once more. The lower levels were teeming with activity. What caught her eyes was the fact that the creatures were all in shredded, bloodied clothing. It wasn't just 'on' them, but it was like they were wearing them. There was no doubt that she had just found part of the apartment complex's population. She remembered what the data said about how long it took to change and knew that Loana didn't have much longer.

Very slowly, Seha backed up again. The creatures below hadn't yet spotted her, so she was able to escape without running for her life again. She glanced to the building map painted out onto the wall. Though there was a security office on the bottom floor, there was also one on the top-floor. Tired and aching, she dragged herself to the upper levels, ascending several flights of stairs in the process. By the time she burst out onto the roof of the structure, her Jedi robes were soaked with perspiration and her breathing was coming out in shallow, wheezing gasps.

Her hard work was rewarded by the sight of an antiquated, rectangular-prism-shaped _Mynock_ -class assault boat. With the Vong and Killik War over, many older military vessels had been decommissioned and scheduled for the scrap-heap. Intense lobbying by the Temple Relief team had seen many of those old vehicles donated to various law-enforcement across the Denon Old City. It was hard to believe that that effort would now be paying her back in the form of a former military vehicle sitting on the rooftop. She nearly cried with relief.

She walked around to the back of it, and was promptly knocked to the ground as a snarling creature dressed in the remains of a Denon Security officer's uniform, pounced. She cried out as its jaws sank into her shoulder, and frantically summoned her lightsaber into her other hand. The creature intensified its bite, and she introduced its neck to her lightsaber blade.

Panting for air, using the Force to reduce the pain, Seha swayed as she got back to her feet. She couldn't afford to stop now. Stopping would mean quitting, and she didn't quit. Half stumbling, half clawing her way through the blood-stained insides of the assault boat, she plopped herself into the pilot's seat. The world spun for a moment and she promptly threw up whatever was in her stomach.

"Come on, Seha, keep it together," she slurred. The assault boat started up without any problem, the sound of its engines humming to life no doubt attracting the attention of everything nearby. Sure enough, an enraged howl from the surrounding buildings put more urgency into Seha's actions. As best as she could with one arm, hemorrhaging blood, and probably a collapsed lung, Seha drunkenly steered the oblong, rectangular vessel off of the roof. She gained altitude to reach the level the others were at, and approached the apartment complex.

Staring almost in disbelief outside a window were the non-Force-user survivors.

Seha thumbed the loudspeaker. "Get back."

The survivors did as they were told. Seha then blew the wall out with a well-placed laser blast. She flipped the assault boat around, and presented its docking ramp to the new hole. "All aboard."

"Force, how are you still living!" One of the survivors breathed out, promptly reaching into a first-aid kit that had been scrounged from the apartment.

"The Force likes me," Seha said faintly.

"Seha!" Raxi's cry really let Seha know how she looked.

" 'm fine," Seha muttered, swaying in her seat.

"Damn it," Siare hissed. "I thought I told you, no heroics."

"Take over," Raxi gestured to the helm. "Me and Doc Olani will take care of her."

Siare's raised eyebrow was hidden by his white-gold Miraluka blindfold. "You want to let a blind-guy drive you?"

"I can drive this," one of the other survivors, an Old City politician and refugee from the Yuuzhan Vong War, voiced. "I was a transport operator back…well…in another life."

"Okay," Raxi said.

"Where to? The surface?"

"For now, yes," Deran Nalual voiced. "Any information will have to wait for now."

"Understood," the veteran took his seat and thumbed the switch to close the hatch. "Next stop, anywhere but here."

The ascent was eventless and calm by comparison. The survivors completely exhausted from their ordeal. Yet, when the assault boat rose up out of one of the many shafts that led from the Old City, the people inside could immediately see something was wrong with the surface city.

"Oh frack," the pilot muttered.

"We've hardly been gone," Raxi shook her head, eyes round.

"What?" Siare said aloud. "What's going on?"

In a scene that heavily resembled where they had just left, whole blocks of buildings were on fire. But the worst part was, it was clear who had started said fire. Military vessels and ships in low orbit were pouring laser fire onto heavily residential areas.

Raxi reached over to the comm-system. "This is Denon Temple Team Leader, Rali Xici to Denon Control. What in blazes is happening?"

" _The new governor of Denon has ordered the razing of several areas to prevent the spread of a virulent contagion_." Came the clipped, almost Imperial sounding, reply. " _We see you on our scopes and you are coming from a compromised region. Please stand down and submit to quarantine_."

" _New_ governor? What happened to Governor Pexel'denab?"

" _He was touring another part of the Old City and was bitten. He ended up infecting his entire cabinet. The new governor has put into place emergency powers to handle this crisis_."

"Roger. Control, we have two infected Jedi onboard. Requesting immediate aid, and barring that, cryo-chambers."

" _Negative Team Lead Xici. Please head to the nearest Denon Security landing pad. If you do not comply, we will assume that you have been compromised as well and open fire_."

Raxi frowned. "Out of curiosity, if the governor and his cabinet are dead, who's in charge?"

" _Governor Malleus, Team Lead_."

"Who?" Raxi knew pretty much every politician on Denon, had to slog through most of them to get the support needed to fix up the Old City. As far as she could remember, no one named 'Malleus' was on any committee or position of power in the Denon circles.

" _Governor Malleus_." The voice repeated. Then, in a statement that chilled everyone in the ship. " _Although he prefers to be addressed as Darth Malleus, Hammer of the Dark Side_."

 **LotJB [ IV ] LotJB**

Darth Moderus stood at the forefront of the long hexagonal table, regarding each of the other occupants in the room through the slats of his ancient Sith mask. In the room were a collection of some of the most brutal, bloodthirsty One Sith Lords and Ladies in both his and Darth Namman Cha's factions. The type of Sith that enjoyed torturing tuk'ata pups and frying the weaker intiates with lightening when they were younger.

"High Lord Namman Cha will be here by month's end," Darth Moderus said in a voice barely above a whisper. "And as of this moment, there are many things that would greatly displease him should he arrive today. Lord Violatus, is it true that you have failed to turn the Jedi Knight we have imprisoned to the dark side? You have had a full four weeks now."

"Darth Moderus, the Jedi Knight is Omwati. Her logical mind makes it extremely diffi…" the dark Jedi in question let out a gurgle, his hands flying up to grasp his head.

"I did not ask for excuses, Lord Violatus," Moderus said emotionlessly. "You were given one task, one simple task. Turn the Jedi Knight to the dark side. I even relieved you of all other duties so you could focus on that task without distraction. You mean to tell me that you, one of Namman Cha's best, have wasted all this time and we _still_ have a Jedi Knight imprisoned? I was able to break Jedi Master Coran Horn in a matter of hours."

Lord Violatus was beginning to turn pale, his hands clawing at his face as he slid out of his chair.

"But I am a reasonable man. Would any at this table like to speak out in his defense? Would like to state a reason why I should not punish his failure after I stacked the deck in his favor?"

The other One Sith present all shook their heads or averted their eyes.

"Very well," Darth Moderus calmly walked around the table and stopped at the thrashing figure on the ground. "In case any of you are curious, he is currently feeling every iota of pain he's inflicted on his victims. Reliving his glory days through their eyes and nervous systems. Strangely, he enjoyed giving pain so much, but seems completely unprepared to receive it."

Lord Violatus continued to convulse and thrash about on the floor like a landed fish, blood beginning to drip from his nose, eyes, and ears. His mouth was twisted open in a silent scream, the noise muted by Moderus to preserve the ears of every in the room. After several long, terse, seconds, with Violatus' pain echoing in the Force, the man convulsed one last time and his heart gave out.

Darth Moderus returned to his position at the head of the table.

"Fortunately, most of you are more competent in your tasks than that waste of space there," Darth Moderus said. "Lord Rexus, Lady Ecstasis. Your systematic elimination of CorSec and CorDef opposition these past few weeks have been inspiring. I will personally tell the High Lord of your role in ensuring Corellia remains loyal to the One Sith."

"We are honored," Lord Rexus inclined his head.

"Lord Ardent, as Gungan-like as the Diktat is, he has had glowing reports for you. Apparently, your efforts in training the CCCP have been greatly appreciated. It is because of you they are fast becoming one of the premier fighting forces this side of the Core."

"I cannot take all the credit, Darth Moderus. Three of my apprentices handle much of the day-to-day training and I would be amiss if I did not give them their proper acknowledgments."

"Are any of your apprentices ready to become full Lords or Ladies?" Moderus said patiently.

"Two are, my lord."

"Then after this meeting, send me their names and I will give them their trials. If they are as capable as you make them out to be, they will soon be your colleagues."

"Thank you, Darth Moderus."

Darth Moderus nodded curtly, then looked out at the rest. "All of you know that I reward success. Seen firsthand what failing the One Sith means. We have already gone over the important information so you all know what still needs to be done before the High Lord's arrival. There is one last order of business before you are dismissed, however. Lady Lamentia, you were tasked with hunting down the survivors of the Corellian Praxeum. Your report?"

Looking absolutely terrified, the young woman rose. "Darth Moderus, my agents are closing in on their location. We have discovered that they were using the home of Rostek Horn as a base of operations, but by the time we arrived, they had moved on. We are currently trying to acquire their location once more."

"But you _are_ on their trail?" Darth Moderus said lazily.

"Ye…yes, Darth Moderus."

"Okay, as long as you know where to look," Darth Moderus said with a shrug. "That is all. If you will excuse me, I need to finish what Lord Violatus left undone. I suggest the rest of you attend to your duties as well."

Darth Moderus left the room, his black cape flowing behind him like a fragment of fluttering night. Outside, the sound of construction echoed through the halls of the Corellian Praxeum. The work-crews were repairing the damage the One Sith assault had inflicted on the building and giving the building a more Sith-like design.

Since the One Sith and Thrackan Sal-Solo had toppled the Corellian government, there had actually been relatively little resistance to their regime. There had been deep public resentment of the Jedi Order since the Killik War had resulted in the loss of Corellia's military supremacy and squelched its expansionistic ideals. Though several sections of CorSec and CorDef refused to acknowledge the One Sith and its puppet ruler, without public support they could do little at the moment. It was business as usual for most everyone else in the Five Worlds alliance, with minimal disruption after the fall of the Green Jedi Praxeum.

Valin stepped off the turbolift to the basement level of the Praxeum and headed to the recently installed prison-section. Said section currently only had one occupant. A Jedi Knight who had survived the Praxeum's fall and had been unable to escape before the One Sith forces had overwhelmed her. According to the report, she had taken out three of Namman Cha's skilled fighters before being knocked unconscious by a lucky strike from a supporting initiate.

The final door opened, and Valin kept his Force-presence neutral as he took in the lightning-scarred Omwati Knight bound to the stone slab in the center of the room. She was dressed in a coarse cloth sack, a pile of her pale-white head-feathers, some tinged with blood, lay at her feet. He couldn't afford to let any emotion escape, couldn't allow himself to feel any guilt or anger or regret.

"Jedi Knight Tiu Zax," Darth Moderus said tonelessly. He tried not to think about the razor-sharp wit and earnest expression of the young Omwati apprentice he had helped to train a life time ago. His Sith mask helped to hide his reaction as he skulked about her prison cell just outside the range of the lamp shining down on her.

"And you would be Darth Moderus," Tiu said hoarsely. "Your henchman mentioned you one or two times."

The dark Jedi walked into the cone of light cast by the lamp and undid a cuff holding one of her arms. He then provided her a waterflask. "I hope you were not growing fond of him."

Tiu took measured sips from the flask, her breathing labored as she watched his every movement. "Not particularly. I assume his failure to turn me resulted in his premature death?"

"I was very disappointed in his lack of creativity," Darth Moderus answered lightly, seating himself in the durasteel chair. "I prefer innovative people, like yourself."

"I will never turn to the dark side," Tiu said coolly.

"That wasn't what I asked," Darth Moderus said curtly. "You are Omwati. Your people are known to be logical, able to see things without letting emotion cloud their decisions. Consider this. What would be a greater evil? Being in a position of power that would enable you to save those you can even if the group you work for is inherently evil. Or, turning down that position of power as a matter of principal and saving no one but yourself? The teachings of the Jedi actually cause more death due to inaction or a misguided sense of righteousness than you would care to admit. You don't have to be a follower of the dark side to be part of the One Sith. Nor do you have to be a Jedi to save lives and right wrongs. You may not believe a word I say, but think on what I've said, and when all else fails, trust your gut."

He stood and headed for the door. It was then he felt Tiu's Force-presence go from resigned despair to absolute shock and realization. He paused, closing his eyes in regret. He immediately knew what would cause that reaction. Over the years, he had changed many things about himself, but his manner of speaking wasn't one of them. He hadn't exactly had to hide it when everyone on Korriban knew who he was. And he hadn't yet revealed that Valin Horn was still alive to the public. Though he knew that his mother was aware of that fact, he knew she _wasn't_ aware that the head of the Sith Praxeum on Corellia was her son. But as he went over what he said, he knew he had voiced an oft-repeated line that had become almost a habit with him whenever he had talked to his logic-minded apprentice.

Multiple times during their adventures with CorDef he had used the line 'trust your gut,' whenever she had complained about the seemingly illogical nature of their actions—ala letting pirates shoot at him so they wouldn't have ammo to shoot defenseless civilians.

"What Mirax said was true then," Tiu whispered hoarsely, her emotional shields making a fast recovery from whatever Lord Violatus had done to them.

"You've spoken with Mirax Horn?" Darth Moderus raised an eyebrow behind his mask.

"Alema Rar assigned her to bring me my rations," Tiu managed. "She did her best to tend to my wounds too."

Valin made a mental note to shoot Alema the next time he saw her. For all her talk about him being on his own in Corellia, he still felt like one of her pawns. He turned slowly, saw her sharp eyes staring at him, as if his mask didn't exist at all. "Then I obviously must rectify that. I will have her punished for doing more than was her station. And for you…well…Lord Violatus' methods were amateur in comparison to what I will do to you now."

"You will not hurt me."

Darth Moderus calmly walked over to the monitoring device recording the happenings in the room, at the same time mentally praising his former apprentice's quick uptake and acting abilities. The amount of fear and uncertainty she had injected into her voice would have fooled anyone that didn't know her well. "Oh, you are so very mistaken. I will do things that will have you wishing for death. So gruesome, I think I will turn these devices off to spare the others. They have neither the fortitude for it, nor the appreciation of what it takes to do what must be done."

Tiu followed his movements as he systematically deactivated the monitoring devices. Before he deactivated the last one, she spoke once more. "I am a Jedi, and will die a Jedi, just like my master. The Force is with me."

"You forget," Darth Moderus allowed the last recording device to pick up the telltale flicker of Sith lightning arcing across his fingertips. "It is with me as well. Now, scream."

In a manipulation of the energy at his fingertips, Valin sent his lightning shooting out towards his immobile former apprentice. Tiu, who obviously hadn't expected him to do that, exhaled sharply in alarm seconds before the lightning crackled over her. There was a delay of a split second before she let out a blood-curdling scream. Valin let a tendril of his lightning arc from his fingers and fry the last recording device. Another tendril fried the neural-inhibitor she wore that restricted her ability to use the Force, and then the barrage ended.

In the following silence, he slowly walked over to the slab of stone Tiu was bound to, his thoughts conflicted. The split second delay between the lightning hitting her and her scream was due to her utter surprise at finding that his lightning hadn't hurt at all. In fact, it had soothed her tortured body and even reversed some of the damage done to her internal organs. It had been a trick Alema had helped him develop, and unique to him due to his ability to manipulate his surrounding energies. At the time, he never thought he'd need to use it, thought it was a parlor trick. And now, as he regarded his former apprentice, he wondered just how many steps ahead Alema had been planning.

"You're really alive," Tiu whispered, reaching out to free her other arm. She closed her eyes, and the leg-cuffs came undone as well.

"Valin Horn died long ago," Darth Moderus answered stiffly. He was surprised, however, when Tiu rolled off the slab and promptly engulfed him in a tight hug.

"You're alive," she repeated softly into his chest, her body quaking. "When your mother said you were, I almost didn't want to believe her. Thought it was a cruel trick by Alema to break me further. But you're alive."

"Tiu," he extracted himself without returning her embrace. He couldn't afford those emotions at the moment. "You're wrong. I am Darth Moderus now, regent of Corellia. Co-regent when Namman Cha returns. If I were Valin Horn, then you and everyone else he cared for would be dead right now."

Tiu, slightly shocked at the lack of warmth and familiarity he was displaying, as well as his denial to reestablish the bond they once had, regarded him with a haunted expression. "That's what you meant then, being part of the One Sith to save lives, regardless of what it does to you."

"You only have two options right now, Tiu," Darth Moderus murmured, turning away to face the lifeless gray wall of the room. "Join the One Sith and help me pacify Corellia in its name, or die here and now…by my hand. I will not let your suffering continue, but at the same time, if you are of no use to me, you will only be an unwanted burden. Your commitment to the light side, to the ideals Valin Horn believed in, while admirable, is misplaced. Only by embracing the darkness will we be able to save the lives the Green Jedi have failed to preserve despite their vaunted adherence to the light."

There was a surge of Force energy, and Valin felt his lightsaber fly from his side and into her hands. It hissed to life, and Darth Moderus turned back to look at the Omwati Jedi. Her blue eyes blazed angrily. Despite her time in captivity with a sadistic host, she had used the Force to stand straight and stare him down.

"So Mirax was wrong then?" Tiu hissed in a low voice. She twirled the lightsaber in her hand and then held it pommel-side towards Valin. "Because if Valin Horn is truly dead then nothing will stop you from using this lightsaber to kill me. Do it, _Darth_ Moderus. Prove to both me and yourself that nothing is left of the brave and wise Jedi who was my master."

Valin glanced at the lightsaber, its red blade illuminating Tiu's scarred features. He should have known his former apprentice would be so stubborn. He had trained her that way after all. But at the same time, she was only one person, one person who at the moment was in no position of power to make any difference as to what was happening on the planet. Letting her live would be a sign of weakness, would give Namman Cha's people a chance to doubt his resolve. Would make his position on Corellia less stable and hinder his ability to save countless others. One life for the billions of Corellians on the planet, as well as the billions of others in the other four inhabited worlds in the system.

Alema had said it—he couldn't afford sentimentality if he wanted to achieve his goals. Couldn't afford to spare an apprentice so wrapped up in Jedi ideals that she didn't see the good she could accomplish if she bent her own morals even slightly. Darth Moderus' yellow eyes stared out from behind his mask as the realization that Tiu Zax's time in the galaxy was over. Had to be if he wanted to stay in a position of power to save everyone else on the planet.

Valin mentally cursed his former apprentice for forcing his hand. Tried to plead with hazel eyes for her to relent and join him in making the galaxy a more ordered, safer, place. He knew she wouldn't go for it though. He had trained her too well. Had time and again shown her the _good_ a Jedi could do, but never opened her eyes to the possibility that the dark side could do just as much _good_ if used right. And then he had gone and died and permanently cemented those lessons in her mind as her way to honor him. He silently raged against the Force, knowing that Valin Horn had gotten her killed long ago.

Darth Moderus reached out and gripped the hilt in a black, gloved hand, never looking away from the deep blue eyes that stared out in defiant challenge. Shaking his head slowly, he took the saber from her hand and deactivated it. A small sigh escaped the young Omwati, her shoulders slumping.

Tiu took a step forward, a fond, almost wry smile appearing. "See, I told you that…"

In one quick step, Darth Moderus had advanced and jammed his saber into her stomach, red blade igniting and emerging out her back.

"Good bye, Tiu Zax," Darth Moderus murmured into her ear, embracing her tightly. He killed his emotions as blatant shock, despair, and regret flashed across Tiu's Force presence. There was oddly no feeling of betrayal, but then he figured she had finally accepted that he was Darth Moderus and not Valin Horn. "You were an excellent Jedi, but the galaxy has no need for those at the moment and you would not change. That is why the Jedi continue to fail the galaxy. They do not become what the galaxy needs, when it needs it."

"Valin," Tiu choked out. The hiss of the lightsaber ended, and she staggered back a step, her hands covering the perfect circular hole in her abdomen.

"He's dead," Darth Moderus answered tonelessly.

Tiu shook her head, an almost manic smile on her face. She staggered forward and reached out a bloodied hand to grip the side of his mask. "No. He's still in there…just have to find him."

Darth Moderus reached up and gripped her hand, but she refused to let him remove it as she scratched for the mask's latch. "He's dead."

"He's not," Tiu's legs gave out, forcing the weight of her body against him as she tried in vain to unlock his mask. "Trusting my gut on this."

Darth Moderus made no move to assist her.

"Valin…Horn, knew keeping me…alive…would be more cruel," Tiu panted, her bloodied hand losing its grip on his mask and falling to his shoulder. She weakly tried to stand again, using him as a support, but he took a step back and she collapsed to the ground. She tilted her head back to look up at him, his figure cloaked in the shadow of the prison cell once more. "More cruel…Darth Moderus would have kept me alive…tortured me with the knowledge that he was once Valin Horn. But my master…he…he saved me the only way he could…Sometimes, a Jedi has to sacrifice too."

Valin Horn let out a ragged breath behind his mask, could feel tears streak down his face as he watched Tiu slowly die in front of him. Her Omwati mind had reached the same conclusions he had, had known that the only way she could maintain her morals, stay true to herself, was if she died. Knew that her death would strengthen his position and helped him the only way she could while being Jedi Knight Tiu Zax. He mentally cursed her again and again, hatred, anger, rage boiling over. If only she had accepted his offer, had realized there was an alternative way that would let her live. It was her fault she was dying now, stupid, pointless waste of life.

Darth Moderus stepped away from her dying body without looking back. "You know nothing of sacrifice, Tiu Zax. You decided to take the easy way out. This is why the Jedi will fall. They believe in dying for a good cause, not fighting with every fiber of their being to ensure that they are alive for the next good cause."

"May the Force be with you, master," Tiu breathed out. The prison door slammed shut, echoing loudly in the empty basement. Tiu's eyes fluttered close, her strength disappearing. "I'll…look out for you…promise…"

With one last breath, Tiu Zax rejoined the Force.

 **LotJB [Chapter End] LotJB**

 **A\N:** Good guys slowly start winning from this point on…slowly… . Next update Side A chapter 4 on March 18th.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **LotJB[I]LotJB**

Precision. Discipline. No more red-tape. No more politicians or bureaucrats arguing while people were dying. No more Jedi ordering good people to their deaths over a 'feeling' or because those good people's deaths would supposedly save many others. Clad in her pressed, black Corellian Starfighter Command pilot outfit, with Blood-Stripes down either side of her pants legs and ranking pins on her collar, Colonel Syal Antilles's angular features stood out in the light of the early morning sun. Blonde hair tied back in a professional bun, Syal took in the sight of the dozens of pilots with approval. She may have only been twenty-seven years old, but she had seen battle, had seen war, and had been changed greatly by those sights.

"Atten~tion!" Her aide, Sergeant Mezer barked.

Like a well oiled machine, the ranks of pilots saluted sharply, boots clacking together in acknowledgement of the command.

"At ease," Syal said coolly, blue eyes showing little warmth despite the Corellian sun peaking above the horizon. As one, the pilots obeyed. "You here are the best pilots Corellia and her allies have to offer. Some come from Corellia herself. Others, from worlds just as strong and noble as my homeworld." She began walking down the ranks of the pilots. "Commenor, Eriadu, Fondor, the Bothan Diaspora. I personally thank you all for having the bravery needed to reject the platitudes of the Jedi and their puppet government and fight for the freewill and peace that we have so long desired. There are still many of those in the galaxy blind to the lies the Jedi have perpetuated. Many who believe that the Jedi are heroes, will bring about a new era. But in the years since Palpatine's fall, what have we seen? More pain! More war! More and more suffering! The Jedi, so reliant on their Force to guide them have failed us and it is now time to seize our future with our own hands. All of you are pilots of the Corellian Starfighter Command, fighter-arm of the Five World Confederacy. You swore an oath to ensure that Corellia, your homeworlds, and all those who wish to throw off the yoke of Jedi oppression are safe and free to do as they wish."

She reached the end of the row, having personally looked each pilot in the eyes as she passed them.

"Your first mission will be to crush the last of the rebellious CorSec and CorDef forces who have massed on the moon of Gus Talon. As defenders of Corellia, we cannot afford to let them threaten this fledging empire of peace we are seeking to build. Trust your wingman, trust your squad, and return victorious! To your stations!"

"Hail, Corellia!" The fighter corps shouted, saluting once more and then breaking ranks.

The fighter-pilots turned and did as bidden, climbing into their new-generation Corellian Assault Fighters. Affectionately called 'Arrow-fighters,' due to their streamlined shape, these new fightercraft were being churned out in squadrons by Corellian Engineering on an almost daily basis. With four laser cannons tucked around its body, a warhead capacity of four, and a shield-generator that topped even the Chase-X, the Arrow-fighters were the ultimate in next-generation fighter-craft.

"You're going too, ma'am?" Sergeant Mezer's eyes grew round as Syal began to ascend the ladder to her own fighter.

"Wouldn't be much of a leader if I sat back in my office and let my pilots die for me," Syal replied with a quirk of her head. "Don't worry, Sergeant. It'll be a quick jaunt to the moon and back."

The sergeant tried to babble a protest, but Syal closed the canopy and pulled her flight-helmet over her head. Within seconds, her own fighter was in the air with a flotilla of a hundred others. It might have been overkill to some, but the Diktat and Darth Moderus had wanted to send a clear message to any further resistance to their regime. Rebel and you'll be put down hard.

"This is Corellian Sword Leader, all squad leaders report readiness," Syal said over the channel. She catalogued the responses, and when the last squad reported ready, she smiled and toggled her fighter's weapons' systems. "All squadrons ready. Weapons hot and accelerate to attack speed. There's no doubt the rebels know we're coming."

The wave of fighter-craft accelerated out of Corellia's atmosphere and towards one of its three moons. Joining them in the vacuum of space were four frigates, their green running lights blinking almost as if in greeting.

" _Enemy ships on our scopes now, they're making a run for it_."

"Admiral Bres-Durron, if you could please close the trap," Syal said with a vicious smirk.

Appearing opposite of the moon and barring the way out was one of the four Corellian Dreadnaughts augmenting the Corellian fleet. Two more frigates and an interdictor dropped in, ensuring that hyperspace out wasn't possible. The fleeing ships had no choice but to veer in a one-hundred and eighty-degree maneuver to keep them out of the dreadnaught's guns.

"Incoming fighters, moon-based. Looks like they're coming from several structures near the fueling station."

Syal flicked her targeting computer on and narrowed in on the lead fighter. It was an X-wing of older design, but no less dangerous. "Fleeing vessels, this is Colonel Syal Antilles of the Corellia's Starfighter Wing. Power down your weapons and surrender or we will respond with lethal force."

" _Antilles is it_?" A wry voice retorted with standard Corellia smugness. " _You really should drop the name. You're betraying everything your dad accomplished. Sorry little girl, if you were older, maybe you'd understand what we are trying to do. Namely, carry on the fight your dad started when he was even younger than you_. _For Corellia!_ "

Syal felt a wave of cold fury rise up. "The lives of your subordinates are on you then." She switched comm-channels as the rebellious CorDef and CorSec ships began to fire off missiles at their nearest targets. "All units move in."

The Corellian starfighters swooped in with lethal precision. These weren't just backwater farmers in their uncle's Z-95. These were veteran pilots who had fought in the Swarm War and many other conflicts throughout the galaxy. Compared to the 'police' force fighting back, it was the same as a boot coming down on an ant. The four fighter-squadrons the rebellious force had managed to cobble together were dissected within minutes of the engagement. The few frigates and corvettes assisting them were similarly decimated.

Syal swooped her fighter in low over Gus Talon's moon with several others, intending to level the hangars the fighters had come from with a single attack run. Plans changed though when several ground-to-air batteries opened up. One of the fighters trailing her was downed by a shoulder-launched rocket. Another was damaged by E-web cannons. Syal gritted her teeth as she abandoned her attack run.

" _Valin Horn,_ it looks like the locals are supporting the rebellion, requesting orbital-strike on the following coordinates," Syal relayed to the Dreadnaught.

" _Valin Horn copies. Coordinates are the fueling station, please confirm_."

"We are receiving heavy anti-air fire from the station," Syal confirmed, taking her fighter out of range of their guns. "Any civilians below will know to have cleared out already."

" _Copy, orbital strike underway_."

The massive turbolaser batteries of the Corellian Dreadnaught fired a single volley into the fueling station. The resulting explosion ignited the fuel reserves and leveled the entire station and the city around it. The giant mushroom cloud grew until it reached the outer atmosphere of Gus Talon. It took several minutes for the smoke to clear, and when it did, all that was left of the Gus Talon fueling station—once home to several thousand people—was a crater in the side of the moon.

 **I-I-I-I-I**

"I'm home," Syal called out, letting the door to the Antilles family home close behind her. After the successful campaign on Gus Talon, her mother and father had invited her for dinner to 'celebrate' her first campaign as head of the Corellian Starfigher Wing. Given that her apartment in the city was fairly empty, Syal had happily accepted.

"We're in here," her mother, Iella, called back.

Syal set down her briefcase and hung up her military overcoat. She rounded the corner and paused. There, in the living room was her mom and dad.

And her little sister.

Her Galactic Alliance Intelligence aligned little sister.

"Myri."

"Colonel Antilles," Myri gave her a mock salute similar to the ones the pilots had given her, clasping her fist over her chest before thrusting it outward in an upward angle. "Hail, Corellia."

"What are you doing here?" Syal said coolly.

"Supposed to assassinate you," Myri replied with forced levity, a hold-out blaster appearing in her hand and pointed straight at Syal. "You know, put down the evil HRD replacement that took over my big sister's place and has her doing all sorts of Palpatine era jackbooting, completely ruining my big sis' rep. But mom and dad told me that you're actually you and that they'd be a little put out if I shot you."

"Thanks, mom, dad," Syal said darkly.

"Hey, hear the news about Gus Talon?" Myri continued on, her hold-out blaster replaced by the HoloNet controls as she flicked the HoloNet on. She looked decidedly non-threatening in a pair of boy-shorts and loose t-shirt. "Some Diktat flunky decided it'd be a good idea to bombard a natural gas storage station with a Corellian Dreadnaught. Left a crater that killed five thousand-plus civilians, most of them families just working at the fueling station. Oh wait, never mind. All the local news channels are saying is how great and wonderful it is for Corellia to have an armed forces so capable of protecting the populace. Even heard the flunky's getting a medal for her 'services to Corellia'. I must have read that casualty report somewhere else. You know, funnily enough, dad lost his family the _last_ time someone thought it'd be a wizard idea to turn the Gus Talon fueling station into a crater."

Syal glanced to her parents, both of which had poker-faces that betrayed none of the emotions they were feeling. Swallowing heavily, almost defensively, Syal met her family's stare. "I'm doing this for Corellia, for a better future for all of us. The CorSec and CorDef traitors used the populace as living shields, the deaths of those civilians are on their hands."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, sis," Myri uncurled herself from the beanbag chair and stood. "Love ya still…let me know when you decide to be sane again."

The doorbell rung, and being closest to it, Syal left the room to answer it.

"Lord Rexus?" Syal recognized the dark Jedi immediately. The man was easily two meters tall, with a stocky build that belayed just how quick he could be. Most notable was the rifle he had slung around his shoulders, being one of the few One Sith Force-sensitives that chose blasters over lightsabers. The four piling out of the speeder with him were CCCP security force soldiers.

"Colonel Antilles," the dark Jedi said politely. "We've received word from your parents that a Galactic Alliance intelligence operative is present in your home. Might we come in?"

Syal, more surprised than anything, motioned for them to enter almost automatically. "Of course, she's right…"

The sound of a speeder-bike starting up drew their attention. A single bike shot off down the road with a lone occupant on it. The night made it had to discern who it was, but it could only have been one person. Lord Rexus very calmly unslung his rifle and aimed. Syal's heart began hammering in her chest as she watched it all unfold in what felt like slow motion. Lord Rexus fired a single shot that arced out through the night air. The shot impacted the bike-rider, causing the entire bike to swerve off the road.

"Myri," Syal exhaled in detached terror.

The bike continued on its ballistic course, the rider slumped over its controls. And then, it flew off the edge of the cliff-side that the Antilles house was on. Syal couldn't help but race through the door and to the cliff's edge. She arrived just in time to see the speeder-bike impact with the rocky outcropping below, crashing loudly before being swallowed whole by an incoming wave. Syal's hand flew up to cover her mouth, her blue eyes wide. She stared for several long seconds, but saw nothing else.

As if in a daze, Syal made her way back to her family home, still unable to process what had just occurred. As she neared the door, she heard Lord Rexus talking with her parents.

"It is good to know that the leader of our fighter squadrons have parents as loyal to Corellia as she is."

"Of course," Iella voiced as if the decision had been a no-brainer. "Of course, I expect your security forces to determine just how a Galactic Alliance agent was able to slip by the CCCP and infiltrate our household. You could have very well discovered our bodies the next day and have to explain to Darth Moderus how Corellia's former Starfigher Wing commander, famed General Antilles, and his wife a lecturer at the Corellian Military Academy Intelligence Department were found dead on your watch."

"I will ensure the appropriate people regret this lapse in security, no doubt about that. Have a good evening," Lord Rexus said politely. He passed by Syal on the way back to his speeder. "Colonel, sorry about the breach. I can assure you that nothing like this will happen again."

"Thank you, Lord Rexus," Syal managed, still feeling numb. "Corellia can definitely sleep better knowing that you and your agents are around."

The dark Jedi gave her a brief salute before piling into the speeder with his men and taking off. Syal re-entered the house and saw both parents standing just inside. At the sight, a surge of fury swelled.

"You called the One Sith on Myri!" Syal yelled.

"What of it?" Iella answered, her face stone cold. "Isn't it your job, Colonel Antilles, to safe-guard Corellia from the threat the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi possess? We were doing our patriotic duty to Corellia, same as you and your actions on Gus Talon."

"She is…was…my little sister! Your daughter!"

"And an agent of the Galactic Alliance sent here no doubt to ruin the Confederation you and the Diktat are painstakingly trying to build," Iella pressed back, her voice like durasteel. "How is turning her in any different than eliminating a rebel group of CorSec or CorDef operatives? So what she was family? I bet those rebels have family on Corellia somewhere too. Only the strongest, only the most loyal, isn't that what Corellia is about now? This is the side you've chosen for your family, or am I mistaken?"

"Dad," Syal almost manically looked to her father. "You can't be serious about this, right? I mean, Myri was your favorite daughter and everything and…"

Wedge held up his hand, looking every bit of his sixty-five years of age. "Syal, as the commander of the Corellian Starfighter Wing, what would _you_ have done?"

Syal's mouth opened and closed for several seconds as her mind locked up. "What?"

"What would you have done?" Wedge asked. "Your sister is a sworn enemy of the Diktat-ruled Corellia. You know she is a GA agent. You're a high-ranking officer in the Diktat's armed force, willing to do what it takes to make this planet secure. Could you really have let her go on her way?"

"Of course not! But I wouldn't have shot her. Arrest her definitely. Try to get her to change sides."

"Knowing your sister, would she have changed sides?" Wedge's voice remained even, tinged with sorrow.

"No," Syal breathed out.

"And what would have happened to her then?"

"What does it matter anymore, she's dead!" Syal snapped back, tears running freely from her eyes.

"That's war," Wedge looked weary as he shook his head. "As an operative for the opposite side, Myri should have carried out her orders and assassinated myself, Iella, and you. She didn't. What could or might have happened doesn't matter anymore. Evidently, Iella and myself have failed both of you."

"What? No," Syal breathed out in a whimper. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping silently that it was all a bad dream. When she opened them again though, nothing had changed. Her mind grasped for some sort of explanation. "I… Why did she come here then! Why, when she knew this would happen?!"

"She told us she left you a recording in your old room," Wedge answered. He wrapped an arm around Iella. "She left us one too."

Her parents left the entryway and retreated to the living room in silence. Syal, tears still rolling down her cheeks, forced herself to ascend the stairway that led to the living quarters. Over and over again, she told herself that everything was a bad dream, a sick joke. She was trying to make the galaxy right for her family, for everyone, why hadn't Myri seen that?

She pushed open the door to what had once been her room. Boxes of her old belongings were stacked against a wall, and her bed was bare. On the mirrored dresser was a single hand-held holo-projector. Hands shaking as she picked it up, Syal swallowed heavily and activated the device.

She listened to her sister's message, tears blurring Myri's figure. When Myri was finished, the device fell from Syal's hand and clunked onto the wooden floor. Syal backed up until her legs buckled against the end of her bed. Not caring that there weren't any sheets, she curled up, closed her eyes, and did her best to wish away the world.

 **LotJB[II]LotJB**

The warning alarms shook Ben Skywalker from his sleep. It was the last thing he expected to hear considering his assignment was in the middle of a small fleet-group over a Galactic Alliance military academy.

" _All pilots to your stations, this is not a drill. Repeat all pilots to your stations, this is not a drill._ "

"Come on, Skywalker!" Ben's bunkmate and wingman, Bastian yelled out.

"On it," Ben hurriedly pulled on his flightsuit and stumbled after his wingman while struggling to pull on his second boot. Bastian was a dark-skinned human almost a decade older than he was and had actually fought in the Killik War as a rookie pilot. Despite the horrors of that war, Bastian still maintained a bright outlook on life. Something that Ben definitely was trying to reacquire as of late.

Out in the hallway of the _Admiral Ackbar_ , they encountered their other similarly-roused-from-sleep fighter pilots.

"Ben, Bastian," a female pilot greeted them, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with one hand and tying her dark hair back into a pony-tail with her other.

"Jessika," Ben returned the greeting. The petite, dark-haired pilot had been one of the first to take him under her wing so to speak, helping him learn how to fly without the Force guiding him. It was also because of her that he got a position in Red Squadron, taking the place of a pilot who had been killed during one of the war's earlier engagements.

"Ma'am, how come he gets to call you by your first name?" One of the other pilots in her squad complained.

"You want the honors? Transfer to another squad," Jessika smirked in turn. "'Course, then you won't have me watching your back."

"Staying alive seems more important, Blue Three," the pilot chuckled in turn.

"What do you think is going on?" Ben said as the turbolift took him and a dozen other pilots down towards the hangar.

"Might be the Red-Blades," Jessika scowled. "Keep your head on your shoulders Skywalker and remember what we taught you."

"No intention of dying any time soon," Ben said grimly. He had been training with them for all of a week and a half since joining the 'military' forces onboard the _Admiral Ackbar._ Though he had enough piloting skills in his own right, learning to fly without the Force guiding his instincts had been a bit more challenging than he had thought."If it is the Sith, they're going to get what's coming to them."

"No heroics," Bastian tapped him on his shoulder. "I want to live too you know."

The turbolift doors opened, and the pilots scrambled to their fighters. Ben's fighter was a Chase-X that had outlived its previous pilot. He started the fighter up and saw the light for his straight-from-the-assembly-lines astromech turn green.

Ben smiled almost whimsically. The fighter he was in had outlived both the pilot _and_ the previous astromech, and the replacement astromech was a newer R9-series with purple striping. The moment he saw the color of the striping, he knew what he was going to call it. "Nice to have you with me, Kani."

 _All systems operational, don't get us killed._

Ben chuckled sadly, choking back a sob at the R9's characteristic self-preservational quip. That would have been something the real Kani definitely would have said. "I'll try."

The briefing came over the comm. " _Black Wing and Gold Wing pilots, a One Sith attack force has just dropped out of hyperspace and is closing fast. Analysts suggest this is a raid on the Raithal Academy. No further reinforcements are available. Primary objectives are to safeguard the academy and the Admiral Ackbar, secondary objectives are to eliminate the One Sith forces_."

"Okay Kani, we can do this," Ben announced as they cleared the hangar.

" _All squads check in_." The wing-leader announced.

Ben heard Bastian report in, and he hit the comm to indicate his own readiness. "R-Five, standing by."

Ben oriented his fighter towards the incoming One Sith force. From the number of ships alone, it was a fairly even fight. A three-on-three capital ship battle with similar numbers of supporting vessels and fightercraft.

" _Alright_ ," the wingleader chimed in. " _Lock S-foils in attack position, stick with your shield trio, and lets show these Red-Blades we can give as good as we can take_."

Ben toggled his weapons, then saw the One Sith fighter formation do something unexpected. Rather than cruise to meet in a dogfight, the fighters were veering away completely. "Lead, enemy fighters aren't engaging."

" _I see it, stay on them_."

" _Looks like they're making a run for the planet's surface_ ," Jessika called in.

"The Academy," Ben said grimly, angling his fighter towards the frozen ocean world. It was night in the targeted part of the world, and the icy world looked nearly black from the reflected darkness.

He was very familiar with the surface of the planet. While transferring the latest batch of recruit graduates to the _Admiral Ackbar_ , Ben had spent many an hour navigating the winding canyons and icy valleys in his fighter. He had had to retrain his mind not to expect that natural 'nudge' the Force would give him to guide him one way or another. Had to just focus on what he could see in front of him. In addition to just piloting skills, he also needed to learn how to anticipate target movements, how to lead his guns into a moving target instead of firing off a 'Force-assisted' shot. Helping him all the while was Jessika and Bastian—whose family had actually been at the ceremonies of the re-opening of Coruscant and was one of the many confirmed dead from the slaughter that followed.

" _Red Squad, Blue Squad, split up and take the group head on_ ," their wing-leader ordered. " _Gold Wing will cover our flank_."

" _Roger, Black Wing Leader_."

 _"Roger that, Poe,_ " Ben heard Jessika chime in.

Half of the attacking One Sith fighter force peeled up at the last moment to engage the GA fighter force, while the rest streamed ahead full throttle.

" _Shields up, double-front!_ " Their squad-leader called out as a torrent of incoming fire washed over the GA fighters.

" _I'll take the leader. R-Five, R-Six, the wingmen_ ," Bastian ordered tersely.

Ben's fighter rocked and flared as the laser blasts of several fighters crackled over his shield. He selected his targeting reticule on an Eta-Five interceptor, only for the fighter to suddenly accelerate out of the target lock. The others his shield-trio had been targeting similarly forked away.

" _Stay on the leader_!"

Ben and Red Six followed Bastian through the thick of the dog-fight, several fighters on both sides blowing up in the exchange. The three Chase-Xs hounded the enemy Chase-X even as its two Eta-Five escorts looped around behind them.

"Aft shields taking a pounding," Ben commented.

" _I've got this guy_ ," Bastian said, his voice full of focus. " _And lock!_ "

His lasers stutter-stepped into the back of his target, blowing it away.

" _Break and take out your targets_ ," Bastian ordered.

"Gladly," Ben pulled hard on his steering column, surprising the pursuing Eta-Five. "Kani, give me everything you've got to engines."

 _Without shields we will not last long._

"And Eta-Fives can burn harder and faster than our fighter," Ben said. "Don't worry, getting shot up is against my programming too."

 _All power to engines. Residual power in the cannons will remain effective for two volleys._

Ben was jerked back into his seat as his fighter lurched forward. "Now _this_ is what I'm talking about."

His fighter zoomed and zagged, startling the Eta-Five and making it over-compensate on its next turn. This shot the enemy fighter out in front of him, and Ben quickly pressed the trigger. Two sets of four red lasers stabbed out into space. The first set missed, but the second splashed right onto the Eta-Five's cockpit and blew it to pieces.

"Got him!" Ben crowed. He looped around to rejoin his shield trio. "Kani return power load to normal."

" _Nice shooting, R-Five_ ," Bastian chuckled.

"Thanks," Ben grinned. But as he scanned the battlefield, he could see that these enemy fighters were doing their job.

" _Lead we don't have time for this scrum, the enemy fighters will be in firing range of the academy in less than five_!" Jessika called out.

" _Cobalt and Stiletto squadrons have been engaged by the One Sith frigate escorts_ ," came the voice from the _Admiral Ackbar_. " _Can you break off_?"

"Negative _, Blue Squadron is in the thick of things. I think some of their pilots are Red-Blades_."

" _This is Red Two, confirming that! We've lost R-One and R-Three! This one fighter is tearing us to pieces_!"

"Bastian, I think we can save the Academy," Ben voiced, his shield-trio on the outskirts of the dogfight for the moment.

" _R-Five, that's a full squadron of fighters down there, some probably Red-Blades. There's only three of us_."

"Yeah, but no one else can safely go after them, and if we wait too long, the Academy is toast," Ben said, already angling his fighter for re-entry. "Besides, we've got the drop on them."

" _Black Wing Lead, this is R-Four. Taking my shield-trio down to intercept. Open invitation to join when able_."

" _Good luck Bastian_."

The three Chase-Xs broke formation and began their steep dive to cut off the remaining One Sith forces. The enemy fighter squadron was staying low and close to the frozen ground, their profile easy to pick out against the glimmering icy surface. Like hawks diving on their prey, Ben and his shield-trio opened fire with everything they had. Contrails of a pair of missiles from each fighter streaked out, followed by devastating barrages of laser fire.

The remaining squadron broke-off their attack to meet the new threat, but the missile barrage snaked through the air and blew four of the enemy fighters away. The others scattered for the moment, some of them dipping into the frozen canyons that scarred the solid ice surface.

" _Bastian, I see a single fighter continuing on target_." Red Six said dutifully.

" _I see him, attempting to intercept, cover me_!"

Ben steered towards the next target Kani had picked out for him—picked using the 'who-will-most-likely- try-and-kill-us-next' algorithm that the R9 series seem to have hard-coded into their systems. The fighter was another Eta-Five who evidently decided to play a game of chicken with him. Ben gritted his teeth as they exchanged laser-volley after volley. In terms of firepower, his fighter had more punch. But in terms of rate-of-fire, the Eta-Five was thrice as fast. Ben's shields turned opaque almost a split second before they would collide, and he swore and veered out of the way. His systems began to flash in warning.

 _Enemy fighter on our tail, aft-shields failing._

"I know," Ben gritted, juking his fighter back and forth. He took note of the icy cannon nearby and steered for it.

 _We've picked up a second pursuer. Now a third. Please stop being an attractive target._

"That's not helping!" Ben hissed. The nearby icy walls erupted in shards of flying frozen rock and steam as the laser barrage from three different fighters tried to destroy him. "Put more power to the aft-shields, we just have to survive for a few more seconds."

The icy trench twisted and turned, but Ben had been flying this path so often, he knew he could fly it in his sleep. All he needed to do was last a few more kilometers.

 _Aft shields have failed._

Coinciding with the astromech's announcements were several jarring shakes of his fighter as laser-bolts blasted away at his armor. He saw the low outcropping of ice that would force the fighter attacking him from above to either drop altitude or rise even higher. And at the end of the trench was a wall of solid rock and ice not visible from the angle the enemy fighters were shooting him at. He reached the juncture and two of the enemy fighters dropped low while the other pulled up.

"Kani, release chaff-flares now! _"_ Ben ordered, veering upwards. His maneuver paid off as the sudden flash of light caused all three of his pursuers to turn in different directions. One immolated himself against the side of the canyon. The other had pulled up to avoid the wall, but ended up colliding with the third fighter when it tried to descend back onto Ben's tail.

 _Hostile targets eliminated._

Ben breathed out and sagged back into his chair. "The others?"

 _Sensors showing only Red-Four operational. I have queried his astromech and there are four other enemy fighters he would like help with._

"Let's not disappoint him," Ben said, steering towards his wingman "How are we on shields?"

 _Not enough to afford getting shot at again._

Ben could almost swear his astromech's bleeping and blurping was rebellious in nature. "Don't worry, we should be one doing the shooting next time."

He saw the fight, swallowing as Bastian's fancy flying was the only thing keeping him from becoming a giant fireball in the sky.

"Red-Four, break to point seven on my signal," Ben directed. He turned off his targeting computer so the enemy fighters wouldn't know that they were being painted. "Break!"

Bastian's Chase-X abruptly changed direction and arced back towards high-orbit. The four fighters in pursuit immediately dropped behind him.

"Gotcha," Ben said grimly.

His X-wing's laser cannons relentlessly cycled between the four enemy fighters as Ben barreled up from the surface. The angle Bastian had flown had tracked all four fighters directly into Ben's sights. The two remaining Eta-Fives exploded in twin balls of flame. The remaining enemy Chase-X's both began to pull away.

"Not getting away that easy," Ben spat, firing the last of his warheads. The missiles streaked out, both chasing a different target. The seconds ticked by slowly as the enemy Chase-Xs tried to avoid the missiles. Ben fell behind one of the enemy fighters, while Bastian exacted revenge on the other. Almost simultaneously, Ben and Bastian pulled their triggers and stitched the rear of the enemy fighters with lethal energy. The fighters tried to evade, and Ben's ended up flying directly into its pursuing missile. Bastian managed to blow out two of the engines on his target, slowing it down enough that the missile caught up and finished the job.

" _All units, the One Sith force is withdrawing. Do not pursue_."

Ben heard the message and couldn't help but let out a victorious 'whoop'.

" _We definitely had to earn that victory_ ," a tired Bastian chuckled in empathy. " _Nice shooting Skywalker, an ace on your first official mission_."

Ben smiled, but as the adrenaline began to wear off, the victory began to feel more and more hollow and his smile became forced. Who cared that he had just vaped seven enemy fighters in his first engagement? The aching hole in his chest wasn't any fuller than before the engagement had begun. His best friend was still dead, the scores of Jedi were dead. Killing seven fanatics to the One Sith hadn't changed any of that. He zoned out of the rest of the reporting, letting his astromech handle the minutia of taking them back to the hangar.

If seven wasn't enough, Ben finally settled, maybe he needed to burn a whole lot more. Tears ran silently down his cheeks. If he did that, then maybe the pain in his chest would go away.

 **II-II-II-II-II**

"Ben! Ben!"

Ben finally looked up at the insistent voice calling his name. He was breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his face as he slowly unclenched his bloodied fists.

"I think you won," Josat voiced hoarsely, pointing to the decimated punching-bag.

Ben glanced at his target, ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand. His last punch had ruptured the abused material and left a slow-draining hole in the work-out equipment. "It had it coming."

"I'm sure it did," Josat sighed, shaking his head. He took the more damaged of Ben's hands and began healing it. "But what did your fist ever do to you?"

"How have you been?" Ben asked, changing the subject.

"Developing an addiction to sedatives, otherwise just fine," Josat remarked, his focus solely on Ben's hand.

"Josat…"

"Only way to make the nightmares stop," Josat answered in a whisper. "Meditation only makes it worse."

"You could always give up the Force," Ben suggested.

"Feels too much like running away from my problems," Josat said distractedly, mending the torn tissues of Ben's hand.

"Is that what I've done?" Ben said rhetorically. "Run away from my problems?"

Josat shook himself and looked up. "Whoa, Ben, I didn't mean you or anything. I mean, you're like a billion times more sensitive in the Force than I am. I can't imagine…don't want to image how things feel on your end. I just meant me…I'm a healer at heart. Can't make things better by ignoring that part of me. Maybe, eventually, I'll even be able to cure myself of what I've seen. Of course doctors make the worst patients so I don't have any hope of doing that any time soon. But I figured if I keep at it, then I'll make some progress eventually, you know. If I give up the Force I can't do that really, and…"

"Slow it down," Ben couldn't help but laugh at Josat's Cassa-like paragraphical spew.

"Sorry," Josat chuckled at himself, then looked away. "I miss them already, you know that? Kani and the others…I miss them so much they'd probably laugh at me at how sappy I'm being."

Ben swallowed heavily. "Me too. It's why I'm fighting though. I'm going to avenge them. Make the dark Jedi pay for every life they've taken."

"Not too Jedi like," Josat commented.

"Your point?" Ben raised an eyebrow at the red-haired teen.

"So you kill every single dark Jedi in the galaxy, what then?" Josat shrugged. "I mean, I loved our friends too, but I _know_ I'll become something they'd hate if I went that route. They're still with us in the Force, right? It's another reason I'm still using it. It hurts, hurts like crazy. But now, whenever I use the Force. Heal people, it's like they're right by my side."

"I never bought into the Living Force theories," Ben shook his head. "Nothing the Force does makes sense any more. Kani would have grown up to be a kick-ass Jedi Knight who would have gone on to help millions. Cappricia would have started the first Yavin Eight Jedi Repository. Neither of them would have hurt _anyone_ , and the Force decides to make them dead? For what! For a bunch of homicidal maniacs who kill anyone who doesn't believe like they do! If the Force is a living creature, I definitely want no part of it."

Ben yanked his hand away before Josat could finish healing it.

"The Force is living, but not like that," Josat murmured softly, staring off into the distance. "It is a living creature vast enough to encompass galaxies. Master Tekli once explained to me that we are like the organelles in the cells of the Force. Our entire lives spent inside a single cell, doing our duties as best we can to keep the galaxy spinning. We don't realize when an organelle fails to do its job in our body, don't even recognize when it does a _good_ job. When a cell dies, we don't feel it. We bruise ourselves, we scratch ourselves, and more cells are discarded. When we die, we are absorbed into the body that is the Force, reused again to where it needs us the most. The Force is not deliberately cruel or kind, it just isn't aware of the actions of its organelles. Just like we aren't aware of the actions of our own. I'll see our friends again one day, but until then, their energy has rejoined the Force and I am using that energy to do the best I can in the cell I'm given."

Ben stared off in the opposite direction. "Does it really matter what the Force is in the end? To me all it's been is a constant source of pain and suffering. Being so strong in the Force, it's like a curse I never wanted. I grew up during the Yuuzhan Vong War, feeling the pain of trillions. It took me until I was nine that I even felt safe enough to use the Force regularly. And that was because I had Kani at my side. We helped each other out. It didn't make the pain, the background deaths in the Force go away, but it made it bearable. And now…she's gone, and I had nothing to counter that pain, that suffering. At least, without the Force, it doesn't hurt any more. I can focus on taking care of things the old fashion way. If the trillions of others who _aren_ ' _t_ Force-sensitive can live their lives without it, I can too."

"I'll…I'll be headed to the Jedi base Jacen Solo established on Alpheridies," Josat voiced after a moment of silence. "This front-line stuff was never me and I need to get away from all the death too."

"My mom's there," Ben chuckled dryly. "I wouldn't be able to get away from her worried looks and motherly ways if I went with you. Dad'll be twice as bad."

"At least you still have parents," Josat pointed out.

Ben couldn't help but laugh at that, but it was a bitter laugh. "That's what Kani banged me over the head with every time I started complaining about the rules mom and dad set for me and Janek."

"Ben, you're one of my last friends left," Josat said softly. He placed a hand on Ben's shoulder and shifted so that they were looking face-to-face. "Accepted me for who I am and helped me out more times than I can count. I want you to promise me that you won't do anything stupid or overly-heroic trying to avenge Kani and the others. The One Sith aren't worth spit, and they're definitely not worth your life."

"Josat, this is war, I can't make that…"

"Yes you can!" Josat's eyes flashed angrily and he squeezed Ben's shoulder. "Damn it, Skywalker! Put yourself in my shoes! My best friend has himself a death-wish and is charging off after a bunch of guys who can use their minds to kill! What's worse is that he refuses to use the Force, thinks that conventional ways will work better. Never mind that all it took were two dark Jedi to decimate that base of thousands on Corulag! Or that Dathomir's Praxeum had a bunch of fully trained Jedi and we _still_ got our asses kicked! Living hurts, I get it! If you're too tired living for yourself, then at least start living for all your family and friends who are still alive and will hurt just as badly if you do something so stupid as to get yourself killed! I know for a fact that if Kani was here she'd bang your head with more than just words. Might even throw you out the airlock for being so dunderheaded! She's dead, not coming back, and if you're like this, I doubt she'd even want to."

Ben lashed out with a fist before he could stop himself, the maelstrom of emotions he had been trying to hold back breaking free. Surprising him, however, was Josat's dodging of his fist and returning a punch of his own. The blow staggered Ben from the sheer strength behind it, stunning him completely.

"That was a wake-up call from Kani," Josat seethed. "If you want, I can get further in touch with the Force and see if Cappricia has one for you too. Since apparently my words, my feelings, don't mean a thing to you, I have to knock some sense into you."

A hand still holding the cheek Josat had punched, Ben finally swallowed and shook his head. "No…not necessary."

"Then make the promise," Josat spat, shaking his hand out. "And what is your head made out of, durasteel?"

"Kani always did complain about my hard head," Ben laughed again, but this time it was genuine.

Josat held his gaze seriously. "I mean it, Skywalker. Promise. Promise me, Jun, Cappricia, even Kani, that you'll live a long, _long_ life. That you won't let revenge destroy the Fearless Leader we followed through all sorts of weird adventures and back. That if I do kick the bucket before you, I can look on with the others and see you being the leader the galaxy needs you to be. Not because you have to, but because you want to."

"What you want me to promise seems to have changed." Ben said in amusement. "I thought all you wanted me to do at first was stay alive."

"Yeah, well, you didn't make the promise the first time around, so I've altered the deal," Josat retorted. "Keep stalling and I'll alter it further."

Ben exhaled a long, slow breath, unable to escape Josat's soul-piercing gaze. "Fine."

"Fine, what?" Josat shot back.

"Fine, I promise to live a long life," Ben began.

Josat held up a hand to stop him. "You're talking to a Jedi here. Stop using the Force for a month and you've already forgotten we can tell when someone isn't being truthful?"

"Blast it, Josat!" Ben yelled out, running a hand through his hair and stalking around the vacant work-out room. He yelled out again, venting the last of his pent-up emotions to the ceiling. Expended, he caught his own reflection on the mirrored wall as well as Josat's worried face behind him. He then blinked wildly. He could almost imagine that Josat wasn't the only one of his friends behind him, looking on with determined resoluteness. He could see Kani, standing there, a hand on canted hip with eyebrow raised. Could see Cappricia holding a data-crystal and trying to communicate with her yellow gaze that everything was going to be fine. His Cathar friend Jun Rasi Tuum was there as well, arms folded across his chest with an expectant expression. Against their combined gaze, Ben looked away. "Fine! Fine! Fine, damn you! I promise to live a long life and not go all Red-Blade trying to avenge you all. And I promise to step up when I can so that everyone I'm with can go home to _their_ friends and family."

Josat smiled faintly and headed for the door. "I'm going to hold you to that promise, Skywalker."

"Josat," Ben panted, sweat and tears mingling.

The red-haired healer stopped at the doorway and looked back. "Ben?"

Ben exhaled shakily, then smiled softly. "Thanks."

Josat winked. "Any time. Kick some Sith butt for me."

"For you, Kani, Jun, and Cappricia," Ben agreed.

The door slid shut behind Josat and Ben slid down against the wall, his heart thudding painfully at the reminders of his past. He was no longer a Jedi, couldn't afford to be and hope to function in anyway. So why was the Force still reminding him of faces he'd rather forget? Why couldn't he leave the past in the past? He closed his eyes and rested his sweaty forehead on the tops of his knees as he hugged his legs. _Kani, why'd you have to die?_

 **LotJB[III]LotJB**

Raxi couldn't exactly see how things could get any worse. They were on a planet being run by a Sith governor, with a large part of it being overrun by some kind of savage creature, with absolutely no backup at all. Two of their companions were infected by some sort of disease that made people raving animals, and were now completely missing.

Upon landing, both Seha and Loana had been encased in carbonite and wheeled away to who-knows-where. Despite the protests of the other survivors, having several dozen blasters aimed at one's self kind of made arguing moot. A fairly humiliating strip-search followed for every member of the Denon team, just to ensure that no one else was hiding any bites or scratches. And then the entire group of survivors was marched into a military barracks. There, a ysalamir prevented the Force-users from using any of their abilities, thus rendering Siare and Jedi Master Deran Nalual completely blind, and Raxi a bit unnerved. As weak as her connection to the Force was, it was still as if someone had numbed an arm or leg.

Raxi's arms wrapped around Siare's midsection, her front pressed against his back, as she attempted to keep him anchored in the here-and-now in the utter blackness that would be his world without the Force. Worry for their comrades, over what would happen next, sat heavy in the room. Conversation was kept to muted whispers and sobs, the horror of the last few dozen hours still fresh in their minds. Even away from the Old City, the survivors found sleep elusive, not knowing what their fates would be. The minimalist nature of the military bunkbeds and gray walls did nothing to help the feelings of despair and hopelessness.

The door to the room hissed open, and Raxi involuntarily squeezed Siare as a troop of heavily armored individuals entered. But it became clear that these men weren't there for the survivors. They fanned out along the perimeter of the room, weapons clasped in front of them but pointed at the ceiling.

"Sit down," one of the men barked when one of the survivors stood and began to walk towards the open door.

"I am the Minister of Transportation for the…."

"Sir, sit down and shut up," the soldier raised his rifle.

"Do as he says," Jedi Master Nalual advised, eyes closed, sitting cross-legged in a meditative position.

One of the soldiers went over to the ysalamir cage and activated a stun-setting, rendering the creature inert. As the Force flooded back to those in the room, Raxi shuddered at the misery and darkness filtering in from the outside.

"You okay?" Siare whispered in a low voice, one of his calloused hands resting on both of hers.

"Like I just jumped into a pool of ice-water," Raxi forced herself to smile. "I'll be okay."

Two more individuals entered, different than the soldiers from before in that they were both obviously Force-sensitive, and very obviously users of the dark side. Their armor differed from the others as well. Where the guards wore standard issue riot-gear, these individuals had on gleaming dark black metal ensembles that swallowed the incoming light.

A third man followed, a presence that just drew the eyes of everyone to his armored figure. He held a helmet beneath his bare right hand, his armor an inky black and imbued with ancient Force-energies. He was definitely elderly, yet walked with a straight gait, head held high.

"Governor Malleus, I presume," Jedi Master Nalual noted.

The man's wrinkled dark skin showed little emotion as he nodded, his yellow eyes solemn. He radiated age and experiences enough for several life-times. "Indeed."

"Can I ask what you intend to do with us?" The Togrutan Jedi continued passively.

"Nothing," Malleus shook his head. "The med-techs have determined that you are all clean, you may go wherever you wish."

That was the last thing anyone was expecting.

"What?" Siare spoke up. "Why?"

"Why?" The governor arched an eyebrow.

"What did you do with our friends?" Raxi added.

The governor turned his full attention to the duo. "They are being kept with all others who were infected and caught in time."

"Caught in time? What do you mean?"

"I was never onboard with Lord Ternax's plan to unleash the Sithspawn plague upon the galaxy," Malleus said evenly. "Ruling over a ruined planet with no population does not appeal to me. Insomuch I am taking measures to undo what he has done. Unfortunately, he has released several strains of the virus and neglected to develop a cure. So as you can see, I have more pressing matters to attend to than worry about what weak users of the Force like you will do."

"If you're putting the infected in carbonite, then why are you razing the residential districts?" One of the other survivors asked.

Malleus glanced at the speaker. "Where on this planet will I have room to store over a billion carbonite bodies? Never mind putting my own people at risk trying to herd them into the carbonite chambers. The incubation period for the Sithspawn virus ranges anywhere from one to four days. It varies by species and by strain, which, as you can imagine, makes things extremely infuriating. I saved your Jedi friends because the galaxy can hardly lose two more people trying to fix it, can it?"

"You're a dark Jedi," Siare said blankly.

"I'm a pragmatist," Malleus replied evenly. "Now, as I said, I have a planet being overrun by Sithspawn. If you will excuse me…"

"Let us help," Raxi spoke up. "This is our home too. We can help."

"You can barely use the Force, let alone keep yourselves alive," Malleus said disdainfully. "I don't need the Jedi Order's cast-offs getting in the way."

"Telloti Cillmam'n," Jedi Master Deran Nalual said, her voice but a whisper.

Raxi wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but saw the old dark-side user blink very slowly in response.

"That name means nothing, now, Master Nalual."

"Master?" Raxi looked to Deran.

The blind Togruta's expression remained serene, her meditative pose kept intact. "The Clone Wars, Raxi, were a prolonged affair that took its toll on the Jedi in more ways than one. It changed Jedi. The Jedi Temple never taught the Jedi how to cope with war, with death, with seeing friends and mentors die. It brought out the worst, the darkest parts of many Jedi, strong and weak. Ambition became a source of anger, love a source of fear, aggression into hatred. Even the best Jedi were not immune. Tilloti Cillmam'n was a part of the same training group I was in, was the strongest, most skilled fighter. Most of the boys in our clan wanted his abilities, the girls wanted to impress him."

"What happened?" Raxi kept an eye on the dark Jedi, his face carved like stone.

"He took the trials, excelled in every test, bested all others," Deran continued softly. "And no master selected him. I later learned from my own master that his ambition and desire for combat and glory was his downfall. The masters feared his fall, which is why they transferred him to the service corps and had him as far away from combat as possible. I always wondered what happened to Telloti after Palpatine issued his kill-order."

"He died, in the Clone Wars," Malleus spoke again. "I killed him."

Deran opened her blind eyes, a kind smile on her face. "Not so much that you were unrecognizable. Even shrouded in the dark side, Telloti, I can still sense that boy who spent time with me working on my saber skills. Let us help you, Telloti. Let us help you save the planet, the people."

Malleus' wrinkled expression remained unchanging. He shifted his weight, his yellow eyes still glowing with power. "If you wish to help, you cannot remain on this planet. There are no answers here."

"What do you mean?" Deran asked.

"The Sithspawn virus is an old creation, discovered by Lord Ternaax when the Tion Hegemony succumbed to civil war almost a decade ago. There were whispers that a cure was discovered in ancient times, but the information has been lost for millennia. My agents have discovered a possible lead on the planet Lorrd. An archaeologist there uncovered an ancient research facility that could have the answers we need."

"That's all the way out in the Outer Rim," Siare frowned.

"You know of the planet?"

"One of our friends was from there," Raxi said in a subdued voice. "She was killed by dark Jedi several years ago."

Malleus showed no emotion. "If your team wishes to help, go to Lorrd. Find out what records are in this ancient site. The sooner the better. This virus is extremely virulent and has been released on more worlds than just Denon. Find the cure, you'll help to save the galaxy."

"What about the people on this planet?" Siare spoke again. "If we leave, you're just going to continue blowing up buildings and massacring them."

"I would do it if you stayed," Malleus replied calmly. "I cannot afford to let this planet fall to the virus like so many others have already. Quarantine zones and a perimeter around infected areas have already been established. As we speak, I am having the Denon security forces prepare a full scale purge of the Old City with a neutron bombardment. Nothing living shall survive."

"What about anyone who's managed to escape," one of the other survivors protested. "Surely there are those who still aren't infected."

"Would you be willing to go down there and find them?" Malleus said archly. "Or perhaps you'd like to choose which of my men should risk their life looking for a single asteroid in a galaxy? It's a fool's errand to risk more lives on the off-chance of finding a few pockets of uninfected."

"You're the governor," Siare spoke up darkly. "You're supposed to care for your people, not throw them away because it's too hard to reach them. If what Master Nalual is true, it's obvious why you fell."

The dark side pulsed strongly. "And pray tell, boy, what reason would that be?"

"Simple," Siare stepped forward, shrugging off Raxi's hand and ignoring the oppressive Force energies. "You gave up. You gave up then, just like you're giving up now. It doesn't take a Force-user to see that. Heck, it doesn't even take someone with functioning eyes to see that."

"I will lead a team of volunteers to rescue any survivors," Deran spoke up before Siare's mouth could get him into trouble. "Siare, you and Raxi will go to Lorrd to look for this facility Telloti speaks of."

"It's Darth Malleus. And it is a waste of time, Jedi Master Nalual. With the amount of turned, you are only going to get yourself and those who go with you killed."

Deran turned her blind eyes to the aged dark Jedi. "But I will have died trying. Can you say the same, Telloti?"

Raxi waited for Malleus' reaction, but the elderly lord of the Sith just shook his head. "Do what you will. But I will not wait forever. If you take too long, I will initiate the neutron bombardment whether you were successful or not."

"If they procure the cure, there is no need to launch your attack."

Malleus regarded the Zeltron and half-Miraluka, then inclined is head briefly. "I will hold off on a full-scale bombardment, but will begin attacks on areas confirmed to be overrun by the creatures. We cannot let them continue to get to the surface and infect others."

"Agreed," Deran said calmly. "As practical as ever, Telloti."

"Don't ruin it, Jedi," Malleus said with a gruff harumph. "I will have a ship readied for your apprentices. You are certain they are up to the task?"

Deran nodded once. "Both Rali Xici and Siare Amah are more than capable. There are different sorts of strengths besides Force-sensitivity."

"We can do this," Raxi voiced.

"Very well," Malleus said coolly. "To ensure their success, I will be sending a few of my people from the Church of the Dark Side as well. I may have mellowed with age, but I still believe that such vital missions should not be left to the weak."

"What, you guys have a church?" Siare said skeptically, also slightly offended at being called weak.

"The Church of the Dark Side is meant to educate and counter the lies the Jedi have spread about us," Malleus replied. "Meant to show the public that only through power, through strength can one's chains be broken. I do not expect one so blinded as yourself to understand."

"Why you…"

"Siare," Raxi held out an arm to keep him from advancing.

"Captain," Malleus glanced at the Denon Security officer. "Tell Brothers Vao and Adare that they will have a pair of guests on their trip. Maybe if Master Nalual's students are lucky, they can learn a thing or two from my missionaries."

"Perhaps they will learn from each other," Deran said with standard Jedi cryptic-ness She looked to Raxi and Siare. "Go quickly, and may the Force guard you. Billions of lives, not just those on this planet, depend on your success."

 **LotJB[IV]LotJB**

Okay, so maybe she should have put more thought into her escape plan, Cassa Solo mused as her bare feet took her across the rocky ground of Zonama. It seemed like a good idea at the time, pretend to agree to Vongerella's evil scheme so she could bide her time and escape the planet. Aside from the fact that all the ships were controlled by the sentient, brain-washed planet, so was pretty much everything else on the planet. The wild animals, the ground, even the Yuuzhan Vong it seemed.

Several amphistaffs whistled through the air, and Cassa threw herself forward to avoid impalement. Her hands were immediately cut up by the rough volcanic ground, but that was the least of her worries at the moment. Zonama Onimi-based air-ships roared by overhead, raining Blorash jelly down on her position like a firefighting ship would spray water.

Cassa nimbly danced through the raining immobilizing jelly, though couldn't avoid it all. One of her arms got stuck to her side, her hair stuck to the living garment she was wearing, and she could feel the sting of it as another glob landed on her shoulder. She poured more effort into her escape, drawing on her energy reserves and trying to outrun the airships above. She wasn't exactly sure where she was going, but at the same time knew that she just wanted to escape the place she had come from.

Her past several weeks on the planet had not been fun to say the least. Vongerella's view of the Force was so different from what Cassa had been taught that the young blond teen found it hard to equate the two opposing views. For Vongerella, those who could use the Force were gods. Those who couldn't were their servants. As a divine being, the Force users could use their power however they pleased. Kill someone annoying you? No problem. Break their minds to get them to betray their family and friends, why not? Drawing upon the vast reserves of Zonama Onimi, Vongerella could very well have been a deity.

Cassa had tried to endure the harsh lessons bravely, but even her young mind could scarcely fathom what Vongerella had put her through. When told to execute a captured Yuuzhan Vong rebel, Cassa refused. Vongerella then used VongForce to give the prisoner a very, very gruesome and painful end. The death was blamed on Cassa, ' _I gave you an option to end his life on your terms. You refused, so I ended it on my own'._ While the Yuuzhan Vong rebel was slowly butchered, Cassa lost the food in her stomach and couldn't sleep for the next several nights as the Yuuzhan Vong's dying screams haunted her. When Vongerella brought another prisoner to her three days later, Cassa whispered a hoarse apology and promptly beheaded the man.

" _So you have learned your lesson. The Force is nothing more than a cruel and cold power we gods wield over the lesser beings. They exist solely to serve us, they live their lives solely because we, commanders of the power of the Yun'o, let them. It does not matter if one or a million die for our wishes, so long as their deaths fulfill our desires. We are gods, Cassa Solo, daughter of my sister. We walk this galaxy just as the Yun'o walked in my home galaxy eons ago_."

" _You're wrong! This, this is all wrong! It doesn't matter if they can use the Force or not, every single life matters! From the lowest bacteria to Yuuzhan Vong, human, Duro, every single species in the galaxy. They all matter! We feel, just like they do. Have hopes and wishes and fears and hates, just like every other being alive. Just because we can kill someone easier than most doesn't mean we should_!"

" _You killed this one easily enough_."

" _You would have killed him if I didn't, and it wouldn't have been so quick_."

" _Why would you assume such a thing? He was actually one of my most loyal servants who trusted my word when I said I would not harm him_."

" _You said he was a rebel_!"

" _Would it have mattered? I did not feel like ending his life, you did. He died at your hands. You murdered a defenseless being solely because you could. Is that not power in its truest form_?"

Cassa continued to run, tears filling her green eyes as she fought back the horrors of her training lessons. That hadn't been the first life she had taken on the planet, and just thinking about the others made her sick to her stomach. Vongerella had her choose between saving a mother or her child. Had her decided which three of a hundred captured Yuuzhan Vong would be allowed to live while the rest would be tossed into a pit of molten rock. Had her fight in a pit to the death with other prisoners who were promised freedom if they won. Each lesson on the fine line between life and death had eaten away at Cassa, and the young teen knew that if she stayed on Zonama any longer, she'd lose her mind. When Vongerella took a break in their training to contact the One Sith council, Cassa made her move.

Which now, in retrospect, made a lot more sense in her mind than actual implementation.

A dart flew through the air and impacted her shoulder, sending her stumbling to the ground. "No!" Cassa rasped, squeezing her eyes shut and using the Force to burn away the drugs as it entered her system. Her pursuers, riding some sort of lizard-mount caught up quickly, and a net was thrown over her.

"No!" Cassa yelled in desperate panic, trying to throw off the organic webbing. One of the warriors clubbed her with the back end of his coufee, dropping a now dazed Cassa to the ground. One of the two airships chasing her took position directly over her, blocking out the blue-white glow from the nearby sun, and more warriors repelled down from it.

And then suddenly a volley of blaze-bugs spun through the air and impacted with the airship. Fire rapidly destroyed the vessel as it spun out of control and crashed into the nearby ground. A swarm of razor-bugs were fired, the lethal anti-personnel projectiles cutting down the guards that had surrounded a whimpering Cassa.

The second airship began to fire plasma down in the location where the blaze-bugs had been launched. Another wave of blaze-bugs was fired, but this time the airship's void defenses swallowed up the attack. No sooner had the miniature singularities disappeared, however, a rocket came streaking in and bypassed the bewildered defensive system. The rocket exploded, taking with it the second airship in its entirety.

Cassa watched all this from beneath the webbing still holding her to the ground, not quite understanding what was happening. Then she felt the ground shake beneath her, weakly pushing herself up into a seated position, Cassa briefly wondered if she had been hit a lot harder than she thought.

"Little Bantha?" Cassa gaped in disbelief.

The now fully grown _Rakamat_ siege-beast was ambling its way across the uneven terrain, some sort of shroud draped over its giant form. It stopped a short ways away, and several individuals piled out of it, similarly shrouded in some sort of masquer.

"Cassa!" A voice called out to her, one of the individuals sprinting towards her.

It might have been nearly eight years since she had last seen her, but Cassa recognized the voice of her mother's best Yuuzhan Vong friend immediately. "Auntie Shaeri!"

"[We have to move quickly]!" Shaeri's husband Czalpak said in his native tongue with urgency. "[The Shapers weren't certain how long these masquers could shield us from the planet's senses]."

"Then help me cut her loose," Shaeri said, pulling out a coufee of her own and slicing away at the net holding Cassa in place.

The moment she was free, Cassa threw herself into Shaeri and began sobbing. "Auntie Shaeri."

"Shhh…shhh, little one," the Yuuzhan Vong Freed One whispered tenderly, rubbing Cassa's back. "It's alright now. We need to get moving, Cassa. We are not yet ready to fight a planet."

Sniffling, Cassa nodded but did not relinquish her death-hold on her 'Yuuzhan Vong' mother and school-teacher. Czalpak took the initiative, scooping both his wife and Cassa, who was still in her arms, up at the same time. "Time to move."

With help from several other Yuuzhan Vong aboard the _rakamat_ , Czalpak piled them onto the beast.

"[Back to the caldera, hurry]," Czalpak called up as he grabbed onto the mounting ropes.

The driver nodded and hastily had the large beast turn around.

"[We're not clear yet, Supreme Commander]!" one of the gunners yelled. "[Yorik-et and a troop-carrier inbound]!"

"[We just need to make it to the caldera and we'll be fine]," Czalpak pulled himself onto the beast.

The howling sounds of Onimi-based Yuuzhan Vong fightercraft filled the air. Liquid plasma exploded all around the moving beast as the fighters opened fire. The _rakamat_ 's gunners responded in kind, their own plasma cannons spewing lethal jets of superheated material at the oncoming threat.

"[Dovin basal is holding]," a Yuuzhan Vong announced from the rear of the creature. "[We'll be in trouble if they start timing their attacks]."

"[You just had to give them ideas!]" Czalpak said grimly, pointing to where three fighters were making a simultaneous attack-run.

Czalpak opened a large container and pulled out what looked like a rocket-launching tube. He hefted the device onto his shoulder with the help of two other warriors, then peered through a rudimentary scope. He sighted his target and pulled the trigger, and a ball spinning with blue electricity was launched towards the fighters. The pilots didn't seem to think the sparkling ball was any threat and began firing in turn. Suddenly the ball erupted in mid-air and the three pilots ended up flying directly through a crackling ion-cloud. The fighters went dead almost immediately, going from attack-run to death-dive in a matter of seconds.

Czalpak exhaled slowly and lowered the launcher, looking back over his shoulder at the path ahead. Still a fair distance away was an impassible mountain range standing tall and wide, and his desired destination. Before they reached it, however, there were still the surviving fighters and the troop-transport to deal with.

"Here comes the troop-transport," one of the warriors stood and uncurled his amphistaff. The transport was using the fighters as cover for its approach over the lumbering beast on the ground.

"Didn't anyone teach these crèchelings that boarding a _rakamat_ is so foolish even Yun-Rhysode would reject them?" Chuckled another warrior, kicking open another container.

"Save that for another time," Czalpak placed a staying hand on the warrior's shoulder. "We'll get rid of them the old fashioned way."

Yuuzhan Vong warriors began to fast-vine out of the dropship a dozen at a time. The warriors on the _rakamat_ responded with razor-bugs and blaster-fire. Some of the dropship warriors managed to land on the back of the siege-beast, but they didn't last long.

As the fight neared the mountain range, this time rockets from the mountain-range soared outwards. The few fighters still harassing the _rakamat_ were picked off. The dropship tried to pull away, but another diet of rockets downed it. Its flaming carcass hit the desolate ground, joining what looked like a graveyard of many others.

"We're clear," Shaeri murmured to the trembling human girl, continuing to run a hand through her sweat-slicken and dirt-covered hair. "Don't worry, you're safe now, Cassa Solo."

"Thanks for coming for me," Cassa whispered in turn, trying to make herself as small as possible against her Yuuzhan Vong rescuer. Her voice had echoed loudly in the dark cave the _rakamat_ had entered, causing her to flinch at the sound of it.

"[How could we not]?" A nearby warrior replied to Cassa. "[You are the daughter of Yun-Ne'shiel the Worldshaper and Yun-Shuno the Pardoner. Niece of Yun-Harla the Trickster and Yun-Yammka the Warbringer. Proof of the power of the lovers Yun-Txiin and Yun-Q'aah. To us you are a being most divine and we will give our lives for you to ensure your light is not snuffed out by the agent of Yun-Lingni, or may Yun-Yuuzhan strike us down where we stand]."

Cassa whimpered at that and shook her head. "I'm not a god! I don't want to be one! Never want to be one! Just leave me alone!"

Shaeri protectively shifted to allow Cassa to curl up even tighter against her body, then sent a glare at the warrior that had the hardened veteran flinch. "[Yun-Rhysode take you for your comment. Right now she is a frightened little girl, nothing more]!"

"[Why else would the Yun'o send her here in our time of need if not to lead an army of her faithful against the forces of Yun-Lingni in a battle of light and dark]?"

"[Husband, can you throw him off the _rakamat]_?" Shaeri looked to Czalpak.

Czalpak looked at Shaeri sympathetically. "[Sorry, but we need all able bodied warriors who have not been corrupted by the Dark Witch. I will have him oversee the children later this evening though]."

The warrior in question looked at Czalpak in horror. "[Supreme Commander, I do not understand! What have I said other than the truth? To inflict such misery on myself when I have only spoken words of devotion is utterly cruel]!"

"[I am the Supreme Commander and I have spoken]," Czalpak snapped in turn.

The warrior stiffened, then bowed his head, sounding as if he were going to his own funeral. "[I hear and obey, Great One]."

"I guess I'll accept that," Shaeri sighed, continuing to hug and comfort the quivering human girl. "Sleep now, Cassa. I promise that when you wake again you will be among friends."

Cassa nodded, her adrenaline fully leaving her exhausted figure.

Shaeri looked sharply back at her husband. "Tell your warriors to lay off Cassa with their piety. There's no telling what that Dark Witch did to this child, and I will not have them traumatizing her any further."

"[You know that will be hard, my love]," Czalpak said softly. "[With everything that has happened within the last few years, they were beginning to lose hope. With Cassa's arrival…Shedoc is not the only one who believes Cassa is the messiah sent by the Yun'o to deliver us from this endless night. You were there when the great cheer went up when news from our agents confirmed Cassa's presence]."

"[She is but a child]," Shaeri whispered, switching over to her native tongue. "[Are we as a race so weak that we once more have to put our future into the hands of children? Tahiri and Anakin would never forgive me if I remained silent while Cassa is forced to bear a burden greater than even _they_ had to carry]."

Czalpak, unable to turn and face his wife as the _rakamat_ lumbered out of the tunnel and into the darkened tampasi, sighed and replied in Basic. "To fight this war, Shaeri, our people need _something_ to believe in. Time and time again our leaders have failed us, have led us astray. As twisted as they were, Shimrra and Onimi were _strong_ leaders who knew how to keep our people united. Who knew that our beliefs in the Yun'o would keep us whole and resilient. When the Jedi defeated them, they took away the core structure that kept our scattered Domains united. We lived on Zonama in peace solely because we had the Jedi, had Anakin and Tahiri arbitrating our disputes for us."

"Taan was a strong leader," Shaeri argued. "And our council had made great inroads in giving our lives a meaning other than fighting."

"The Supreme Leader was our official leader, yes, but she was a Shamed One once, had no experience in policy or knew of the mindsets of the other castes. The Jedi stripped most of what gave the Yuuzhan Vong our identity, tried to reshape it into something the rest of the galaxy would accept. But at our core, we are still a warrior race, will be one for many centuries to come. We could not even stop the Dark Witch's rise because so many of our brothers and sisters yearned for the world she promised to give us all. A world where the Yuuzhan Vong could be proud warriors once more. As despicable as it is, if we want _our_ forces to fight with the same fervor as that of the Dark Witch's, then we need to give them a vision, a symbol that is even stronger than what she can offer. Anakin and Tahiri will understand because they once took on the mantel of the divine to unite us. Even if she is younger than they were, Cassa Solo will need to do the same. Not to unite us, but to save us all."

 **LotJB[Chapter End]LotJB**

 **A\N:** May 20th will be the next update for LotJ Side A, and then a small hiatus in posting as I take care of health things. Almost done writing the first group of story-arcs….these stories are definitely taking a lot longer…and the chapters a lot bigger…than I wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

 **LotJB[I]LotJB**

The crickets were chirping, the night-birds hooting, a gentle breeze bringing with it the scent of fresh rain and plant-life blew through the forest. And still Janek Skywalker couldn't find the peace needed to enter a meditation. The past month had been filled with non-stop drills, with tactical lessons and weapon-handling skills. Janek had thought his pre-war work-out sessions were intense, but when he saw the Mandos in their every-day clothes without their armor, he learned that there was being 'in good shape' and there was 'frighteningly fit' and 'godlike ripped'. Most of the Mandalorian fell into one of those two latter categories. He could almost imagine them going into battle shirtless, with just vibroswords, facing off against impossible odds…and winning.

The Ossus survivors had passed their rite into adulthood, just barely. According to Verde Vizsla, Jesmin's brother had actually set an annoyingly high bar and started a tradition of Jedi passing the test _without_ the use of the Force. When they had first been told that, poor Vekki nearly broke down in tears and pleaded for Vizsla not to send her to the dark Jedi. Even the confident Ysanna apprentice San're, and the Nautolan Naeli Nayami had paled considerably. Somehow, by the skin of their teeth, they managed to do just enough to be considered adults.

Janek grimaced at the memory. And he thought the preparations for the _verd'goten_ had been hard. The lessons Verde Vizsla and her people had put him and the others through had been downright brutal. The only one who didn't seem to mind at all had been Ryza—who had reasoned that every lesson learned, every skilled picked up, brought her one step closer to freeing her younger brothers.

Brothers. Janek absently reached out through the Force to try and locate his family, staring at the stars the bright ball of Mandalore didn't blot out. He could sense his mom, felt her return 'check-up' on him, and mentally let her know that he was okay. His father's presence in the Force he almost missed completely. Gone was the relaxed, carefree 'Farmboy,' father-figure that Janek had known his entire life. There was no gentle humor, no patient smile that reassured everyone that things would turn out for the better. Instead, Janek could feel what Ben had once described to him as 'military dad'; someone who so easily compartmentalized feelings, issued orders knowing that more than a few people would die because of them, a darker side of Luke Skywalker that only very few had seen firsthand. This Luke Skywalker broke things down as logically as he could, realized that he couldn't save the whole galaxy so tried to calculate which part of the galaxy he _could_ save. Who accepted that some people just died because of the will of the Force, fell to the dark side because of the will of the Force, and wrote them off because of the need to focus on the 'greater good.'

Sensing that his father was neck-deep in business, Janek drew his presence back and set out to search for his big brother. Something he had done almost on a daily basis since arriving on Concordia. It both worried and frustrated Janek at the same time. Not once had Ben responded to his probes asking about his status. Nor had Janek even felt Ben through the Force, as disturbing as that was. He knew that Ben was alive, but nothing more.

With an aggravated sigh, Janek broke off from his trance and refocused on the planet high in the sky. He didn't know why he bothered anymore. Despite being close when they were younger, as they grew up, both he and Ben had begun to drift apart. There were a multitude of reasons Janek could list, everything from having different interests to just wanting their own space. Janek had his own group of friends, which for the most part, had come out of the One Sith opening strikes unscathed. Ben had his group of friends, which unfortunately, had been mostly wiped out. Janek hated taking life seriously, taking any great deal of responsibility or living up to the ideal that the name 'Skywalker' invoked. Ben seemed to thrive in the pressure of making that ideal a reality.

But now the time for fooling around, for fun and games, for those stolen kisses with one of his many paramours, was gone. The One Sith had done their job squashing all of that quite nicely. You couldn't save the galaxy and have fun at the same time, especially with people dying and suffering on a daily basis and those echoes in the Force knocking at the back of your mind in constant reminder. Worst yet, Janek knew it would only be a matter of time before the Mandalorians called on them to invade that glowing planet above them. Call on them to face down death in thousands of different forms.

Heck, he wasn't even a Jedi Knight yet. Had been slacking on his trials because, after all, it was Ben's job to get all famous and skilled. Janek wanted nothing to do with politics, with war, with the complexities that involved trying to stay alive in a do-or-die situation. He would have been perfectly happy being a Bantha on some distant world, without a care in the galaxy outside of eating and sleeping.

He breathed out a softer sigh as he ran a hand through his short, red hair, pillowing his head in his hands and reclining on the large rock he had been seated on. The rock was one of many in a blast-crater created during the Yuuzhan Vong War, and was a fair distance away from the Death Watch base. He had found it after the third day and often used the small crater and the small lake at the bottom to cool off after his night-time run.

The cool breeze continued to dry off the sweat that he had accumulated from his new, advanced workout regimen. Now that he knew there was a new level of fitness to aspire too, Janek was definitely going for the godlike category. After all, it wasn't like he could impress the Mandalorian girls with anything less.

He smiled bitterly and shook his head. Who was he kidding? The chances of him and the other Ossus survivors not making it out of the war were scarily high. They weren't soldiers, there were no Praxeum lessons on how to fight a war. There wasn't even a combat class devoted solely for fights against other Force-users. Between the Yuuzhan Vong, the pirates, the Killiks, and all the minor-in-comparison civil wars in between, the Praxeums had never really touched on what to do if the Sith returned. No Mandalorian crash-course was going to make up for the fact that the Jedi Order simply never instilled the 'warrior-mentality' in their young. Despite being on a Mandalorian base full of allies, he felt the furthest thing from safe. Not with the planet full of trained killers and fully trained dark Jedi hanging over their heads like an executioner's axe.

He felt a shift in the Force and he quickly stifled his fears and doubts and smiled a broad confident smile.

"Catra Skirata," Janek voiced, sensing the young woman in the forest behind him. "Nice night for a walk, isn't it?"

"It is, Jedi Skywalker," seemingly just finished with her own work-out regimen and clad in the bare minimum of clothing just like he was, the olive-skinned great-granddaughter of Kal Skirata stepped into the light cast by the planet above. Two years younger than Janek, she was the eldest daughter of Jintar and Dinua and had completed her own _verd'goten_ along with the Ossus survivors.

Seeing Catra reminded Janek of the happy shriek Jesmin emitted when she saw two of Doran's oldest Mandalorian friends in the Death Watch base. The level of calm and relaxation Jesmin had radiated since was something he hadn't felt from his close friend since before Ossus had fallen. Catra and her three younger siblings were introduced to the Ossus survivors, and the two groups somehow just clicked. Of course, Janek was never above teasing the eldest child when he could. Especially since she definitely had the figure of a young woman.

And his appreciation was far from one sided as she had often jogged by his way since seeing him swimming in the crater. Janek smiled as Catra looked him over, and exaggerated his relaxing pose slightly to emphasize his core. "Can I help you?"

Catra swallowed heavily, eyes dilating slightly and her tongue unconsciously flicking out to lick her lips as she nodded. Then realizing he had caught her looking, she blushed and froze in place, gaze snapping up to his face. "Yes! No! I…errr…I mean…wow…"

"A speechless Mandalorian?" Janek teased. "Normally you guys are either the stoic silent types or the non-stop talking ones. I don't think I've ever seen a non-stop talker go silent though. So, was it a yes or no?"

"No, definitely not," Catra stammered, doing her best to regain her composure and placing her hands on her hips.

Janek noted her lack of substantial clothing and held out a hand to create a small sphere of warm air around them. "Careful, it gets pretty cold out here quickly. Don't want to be a speechless, perky, flu-stricken Mando."

If possible, Catra's blush became even deeper, and almost reflexively folded her arms in front of her chest. "I…I was fine…I'm conditioned to training in extreme temperatures. This is hardly the coldest atmosphere I've been in."

"Fine, but it is a bit nippy out here, don't you think?"

"Jaaaanek."

Janek grimaced at the sound of Jesmin's voice. "Oh, Sithspit." He turned and tried to smile casually as Jesmin emerged from the opposite side of the forest in one of the Mandalorian's rough-spun tunics. "Hey Jesmin."

The blonde-haired, commando-trained Jedi was trying to charbroil Janek with her almost black-with-rage green eyes. "'Hey'?"

"Nice to see you, Jesmin?" Janek tried, trying to find out which greeting would let him escape with all his vital body parts still attached.

"'Nice to see you?'"

"Beautiful night we have this night, isn't it?"

"Catra, can you finish up your run?" Jesmin said with a false smile. "I need to have a word with my _best_ friend here."

Catra glanced back and forth at the two Jedi and then stepped back into the tree-line and out of sight.

"What brings you this way?" Janek tried again, he cast a distracted glance back towards the tree-line, sensing that Catra hadn't actually taken off. In Jesmin's fury, however, she had missed that completely.

"Janek, let me make one thing clear," Jesmin hissed, dropping down to his ridge and advancing towards him. "You mess with the daughter of my big brother's best friends and I swear…."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! It was just harmless fun!" Janek said, frantically springing to his feet. "I mean, sure she's really good looking, has got that hot body that…Joking! Joking!" Janek said as Jesmin advanced on him. "Well not really, she is pretty hot…"

"I hope _she_ knows it's harmless fun," Jesmin hissed again, jabbing a finger into Janek's chest. "She's not like your star-struck fans and mindless Jedi floozies you're used to going through. If our friendship means anything, you'll back off, okay? I'm not going to repay everything Dinua and Jintar did for my big brother by letting you break Catra's heart!"

"I think I can decide that for myself, Jesmin," Catra cut back in, hopping down the embankment agilely until she was on the same ridge on Janek's opposite side. "We Mandalorians can fight our own battles."

Jesmin's jaw dropped.

The shorter Mandalorian teen met Jesmin's eyes and a silent battle immediately erupted between the two of them.

Janek suddenly had the urge to dive into the lake.

Then things got a lot worse.

"Hey, there you are Janek! I was looking for…you," Ryza Durron trailed off. She came to a halt at the top of the small crater, her hair wet as if she had just swam or showered, and her Jedi robes loosely fitted around her body.

 _Force kill me, please,_ Janek pleaded silently. He forced another smile on his face. "Hey Ryza."

"Hi?" Ryza said hesitantly, eyes darting between the overly-skimpy jogging-outfit-wearing Catra, the obviously peeved Jesmin, and the near silently suffering Janek.

"Yeah, what brings you out here?" Janek tried to be casual as Ryza continued to assess the situation.

"Yes, what?" Jesmin said through clenched teeth.

Understanding rose in Ryza's expression and her eyes narrowed at Janek. "You really are a piece of…"

"Here's where everyone went! I wondered why…" Jedi Apprentice Vekki froze at the top of the crater a few meters away from Ryza and stared down at the group, picking up the obvious tension.

As one, three sets of eyes immediately turned towards Janek, the obvious question of _'her too?'_ clear in their glares.

Janek frantically shook his head to avoid a case of not-so-friendly fire.

"Errr…I'll come back at another time," Vekki said nervously, backing away slowly. But before she left, she peered over the crater's edge one last time. "And Skywalker, really. Choose one already."

Janek smiled nervously and stayed focused on the older Jedi girl to avoid eye-contact with the other three. "Vekki, I'm a Skywalker. Why can't I have all of theeeeeeem!"

Two powerful blasts of Force energy slammed into him and sent him flying into the crater's shallow lake. He resurfaced, sputtering, only to hear a confused shriek. He looked up in time to see Catra overbalance Jesmin and send the blonde Jedi flailing into the lake after him. In quick succession, the Mandalorian girl then picked up a stone and hurled it at the rim where it bounced off the ridge. The impact loosened the rocks Ryza was standing on, and Ryza let out a squawking cry of her own and fell into the lake.

"We Mando'ade _always_ get what we want," Catra said with a cocky grin and flick of her black pony-tail. She began to clamber up out of the crater only to suddenly be pulled away from the rocky wall.

Janek felt a seething Ryza continue to bring a now helpless Catra away from the crater rim until the Mando girl was floating directly above the center of the lake. With a gesture, Catra was then given to gravity and squeaked loudly just before impacting with the water.

"So do us Jedi," Ryza grinned ferally at the younger girl, using the Force to create tidal-waves of water to splash her. Catra tried to retaliate by sending kick-induced splashes at Ryza and was somewhat successful.

Jesmin was about to interrupt, but Janek wrapped his arms around her and promptly covered her mouth with his. She resisted slightly, but just as quickly began returning the kiss. He pulled back and winked at her. "I think you're 'it,' now."

Jesmin blinked, slightly dazed, and then realized that both Catra and Ryza were staring at her and Janek with wide eyes. Janek pushed off of her gently, putting space between the two of them. Both Catra and Ryza exchanged one glance, then looked at Jesmin.

"Skywalker!" Jesmin shrieked as Ryza's tidal waves and Carta's kick-induced splashes bombarded her. She did her best to fight back, but it was a losing battle.

Janek swam clear of the melee, reaching the side of the small crater and escaping the notices of the others. Vekki was crouched down at the top, watching with a resigned grin on her face. "You just did that to ensure their tops were soaked, didn't you?"

He had a feeling she deliberately pitched her voice so the three girls would hear. She _really_ didn't have to speak as loudly as she did in the small crater.

"Thanks for the help," Janek groaned.

"You do it to yourself, Skywalker," Vekki winked, standing once more. "See you back at base."

Janek turned around, then paled as all three girls, with murder in their eyes, began to advance on him. As he wilted under their combined barrage in the light of the planet above, he couldn't help but grin and laugh inwardly. Who said he couldn't save the galaxy and have fun doing it?

 **LotJB[II]LotJB**

Ben Skywalker stayed as close to the ground as possible, his face painted in the black-gray hues of the planet's urban terrain. His uniform was similarly colored, the mesh draped over him helping to make him nigh invisible to the naked eye. Lying prone next to him was Jori Lekauf, electrobinolculars in hand. Their blind was on a high building overlooking a sprawling valley. Though once scenic, the residents of the Mid-Rim world of Peg Shar I had converted most of the valley into one large manufacturing center.

With the entire sector in One Sith hands, any sort of fleet attack was out of the question. However, signal-intelligence intercepted a message that a high-ranking One Sith was visiting the planet for inspection. Any plan that would disrupt the One Sith's lightning fast march through the galaxy, as well as sow discord among their allies worked for Ben.

Having trained as a sniper as well as a pilot, Ben managed to get himself onto the wet-work team assigned to the mission. And now, instead of blasting One Sith targets at several hundred kilometers an hour from high in the sky, he was now smack dab in the middle of an urban jungle waiting for his chance to give the One Sith even more grief.

Peg Shar I was a heavily industrialized world producing everything from food-goods to blaster packs. The local Incom branch had similarly defected and its people were likewise creating fighters for the One Sith war-effort.

"Target is arriving," Jori murmured in a low voice, tracking a shuttle through the sky.

"Eyes on it," Ben confirmed, freeing up his rifle and settling into position. He gave his comm two clicks to let the others know they were ready.

A second later a pair of two clicks followed. The other two sniper teams were ready as well.

"Targets," Jori held out the datapad with a split screen. On each side was the face of an individual. "Target One, Prime Minister of Peg Shar One. Target Two, CEO of the rogue Incom branch."

"Confirmed," Ben nodded. He peered down the scope of his rifle.

The shuttle touched down and a group of dignitaries strode up to meet the shuttle. Ben found his target with ease. The Prime Minister's tall stature, beard, and immaculate dress uniform made him look just like his file-photo. As he scanned the scene, he paused. Standing on either side of the Prime Minister was a young child, both equally dolled up for the occasion. The man's children, Ben realized. He wondered if the kids knew just how bad a person their dad was. That the Prime Minister was supporting a regime of homicidal individuals who cared nothing but for their own power. The children's mother was standing a little off to the side, occasionally obscuring Ben's shot as they walked.

"Target One in sight," Ben swallowed, blinking away a bead of sweat. "Don't have a clear shot yet. Scanning for Target Two."

"Copy," Jori kept a look out.

Ben spotted his second target standing a few people behind his first. The man's bearing screamed 'privileged aristocrat' and it didn't take a lot of imagination to know why the One Sith appealed to him. On the arm of the man appeared to be a woman probably half his age, her clothing emphasizing her feminine attributes. "Target Two spotted."

The shuttle door opened and the ramp lowered.

Ben released a slow breath and then reacquired the Prime Minister in his scopes. The man's children—a daughter and son—couldn't have been more than nine or ten, and the way they grinned and laughed at whatever he was saying caused Ben's stomach to clench. The scene disgusted him. How many other children had lost their lives because of what their dad supported?

"Do I have permission to terminate the target?" Ben gritted out, almost seeing red as his anger crept up.

"Team Two is still acquiring their targets," Jori negated.

The occupants of the shuttle emerged, the leader a masked figure in dark robes that made him very identifiable as the One Sith head-man Ben's team was expecting. His robes had red and gold trim, with stylized shoulder-pads, and an equally fancy lightsaber hilt sat attached to a heavy gold belt. A quartet of similarly, though less elaborately dressed individuals followed him out.

"Great, more Red Blades to down."

"Hey, remember, the more you want to kill them, the more they can sense it," Jori chided. "Focus on the mission."

"Right, sorry."

The last team signaled ready.

"Take out Target One. The others will fire on your go."

"Target One acquired." Ben flicked the safety of his rifle off and tracked the Prime Minister as the man moved to kneel before the newly arrived One Sith commander. His two young children, as well as his wife followed his example.

The crackle in the air sounded like thunder to Ben's ears, but was drowned out by the sounds of the industrialized world. A split second later, the crowd of dignitaries was screaming in panic. Ben had scored a perfect headshot with his metal slug, creating a gory mess at the very foot of the One Sith commander. Security forces quickly poured in to secure the other VIPs, but two more cracks resounded off the surrounding buildings. Two more dignitaries were dispatched.

"Target Two in my sights," Ben tracked the sprinting Incom executive, the man's trophy-girlfriend sprawled on the ground and in danger of being trampled by the hysterical crowd. Ben's rifle barked again, missing the man by a hair. He cursed and quickly chambered another round.

"Ten seconds left," Jori warned.

More thunderous cracks as the other two teams fired again. Ben fired for a third time and got the executive just as the man was about to slip into his luxury speeder. The round punched through the back of the expensive suit the man was wearing and exploded out the front.

"Target Two down."

"Dismount," Jori said in turn.

"Give me a moment," Ben chambered another round and swung his rifle back towards the One Sith commander. Fortunately or not, the man had made no effort to move for cover. With a growl, Ben fired for a fourth time.

The One Sith didn't twitch and fall down dead shortly after, however. Instead, he had held up his hand, and the projectile was halted mid-flight. The One Sith then looked upwards, as if looking right back at Ben through the scope of the teen's rifle.

"Blast it," Ben slapped his rifle and quickly began to clean up. "Let's go."

Jori grabbed the last of their gear and the two began sprinting through the enclosed street-ways. Sirens and alarms were blaring all around, a loud-speaker announcing that residents should stay indoors. Probe-droids and security droids were flooding the main thoroughfares and any other place that assassins might run to. It was broad daylight, middle of the day in fact, and the security measures had thrown everything into chaos. To make matters worse, the local leaders who would have taken charge of the situations were all lying dead on the landing pad.

Which was just perfect for the GA operatives now fleeing to their exfil locations before the One Sith closed down the sector. Jori and Ben fled in complete silence, having worked out their escape route earlier. When they reached their location, a two-seater ship hidden in the recesses of a sewer pipe, they allowed themselves a small breath of relief.

"Made it," Ben remarked.

"Doubted we would?" Jori laughed, pulling the netting off the ship and opening the cockpit. He turned back towards Ben and his smile fell away. "Ben…behind you."

Ben whirled around. One of the four robed individuals who had arrived in the shuttle was standing several meters away, his pale skin stretched across his gaunt face.

"Going somewhere?" The One Sith dark Jedi said almost inaudibly.

Ben shouldered his rifle, bringing it out of its collapsible form as he did. The dark Jedi held out a hand and yanked the weapon from his grip. Rather than send it flying, the dark Jedi slammed the butt of the rifle into Ben's stomach, and then lashed the stalk across his face. The teen dropped to the ground, stars exploding in his vision. The dark Jedi began to step past him towards Jori, so Ben did the foolish thing and grabbed the man's leg. More pain as the dark Jedi promptly stepped on his face.

"Foolish worm," the dark Jedi sneered. "To think a weakling like you would dare to touch me."

Blood flowing from his broken nose, Ben smiled toothily. He was beyond caring at this point. If the Force was going to kill him here and now, he'd be a little peeved, but it would be what the Force wanted and who was he to argue with it "Yeah, I dare."

A blaster sounded, but the dark Jedi's red blade had already ignited and batted the projectile aside. With an almost annoyed look he glanced towards Jori. "Wait your turn." A Force shove sent Jori flying off the ship and into the sewer wall.

In that moment, Ben pushed himself to his feet and tackled the dark Jedi once more in a desperate lunge. The two fell to the ground in a twisted mess, and Ben suddenly found himself rocketing upwards into the air. The breath was knocked from him as he impacted with the duracrete roof, and then his front half exploded in more pain when gravity took over and dropped him onto the ground.

"Prophet Dotan wishes you be taken alive," the dark Jedi said in amusement. "So you'll live. But I'll take you to that very threshold. Bacta does wonders you know."

"Know what bacta can't do?" Ben rasped, coughing up blood and trying to stop his head from spinning.

"What is that?"

"Put someone who's been blown up by an anti-personnel grenade back together," Ben managed, winking at the dark Jedi. "The Force is a bitch, isn't it?"

The dark Jedi frowned, then picked up the thought from Ben's mind and immediately glanced over his shoulder, trying to see the back of his robes. The timer on the grenade Ben had stuck to the man's back hit zero, and the dark Jedi's body was completely vaporized by the high-explosive blast.

Ben let himself fall back down for a moment, wheezing as a small smile came to him. There was something about personally taking care of a One Sith that was lightyears more satisfying than blasting one in a fighter.

"That one's for you, Kani. I'll send a bunch more along, though. Promise."

 **LotJB[III]LotJB**

It had all been a dream, a nightmare, Cassa Solo figured as she slowly opened her eyes. She had dreamt that her homeworld of Zonama Sekot had been perverted by an insane, Force-using Yuuzhan Vong and that she had been made to do horrible things. When she woke up she'd be in her bedroom on Hapes, and everything would be okay. Her lashes lifted and she very carefully took stock of her surroundings.

She was definitely not on Hapes, and that wasn't a good thing. Her heart began to pound once more, the memories of what Vongerella put her through replaying at rapid speed. Her hands tightened on the cloth blanket covering her and she exhaled shakily, green eyes frantically looking around the room she was in.

The walls were wooden-paneled, several plants glowing with natural bio-luminescence keeping the room lit in a comforting white light. There were stacks of old-looking crates in one corner of the room. A set of wooden chairs and a table with clay dishes on the opposite side were the only other things Cassa could see. Her heart beat loudly in her ears as she swung her feet out of the bed. Reaching down to push herself up, she noticed that her hands and feet had been wrapped in bandages.

Bandaged with a cloth bandage and not a living one used by the Yuuzhan Vong. Her examination of her hands also made her realized that she was wearing Jedi robes once more. She carefully unwrapped one of the bandages and saw that her cut up hands had healed, leaving only faint jagged scars on the palms of her hands. She removed the rest of the bandages, briefly wondering how long she had been asleep.

Also wondering where she was as well.

Confusion crept in, battling the panic and fear for control. She carefully made her way to one of the windows and saw the darkened tampasi of Zonama outside. Cassa exhaled slowly. "Okay Cassa, what was the last thing you remember?"

She closed her eyes and breathed out again. Images of a screaming Yuuzhan Vong in his death throes promptly jolted her from her thoughts and she reached out to grip the sides of the window for support.

"Okay, let's not do that again," Cassa said hoarsely.

Instead, the young teen moved on bare feet to the door of the room. She released one more breath, mentally figuring that whoever it was that bandaged her wounds probably had left her in some place safe. Inhaling once more she carefully pushed the door open. The wooden construct opened with a soft creaking sound, two larger lanterns illuminating the landing just outside. The sight through the door had Cassa freeze in her tracks and almost made her forget to release her breath.

On the landing outside the door, amongst the forest illuminated by bio-luminescent lamps, were hundreds upon hundreds of Yuuzhan Vong. All were prostrated or swaying in a trance-like state, prayers to the Yun'o uttered from their lips.

" _Al' tanna Cassa Solo Khattaz al'Yun'o_." A Yuuzhan Vong cry echoed in the back. The blessing—long life to Cassa Solo, Avatar of the Gods—was repeated by the prostrated crowd in reverent unison. " _Bruk tukken Yun Lingni, al'tanna So'ran tchurokk!_ "

As if she was still dreaming, Cassa stepped out of the wooden hut and into the light of the lanterns by the door. The chanting continued unabated, the multitude of voices rippling through the tampasi in religious piety. It was almost song-like as their voices rhythmically filled the lamp-lit tampasi.

"[The Daughter of the Gods has awakened at long last]!" One of the Yuuzhan Vong on in front of the crowd announced in a hushed whisper. The whisper traveled like an electrical current through the prostrated crowd. "[Long live Cassa Solo, Chosen of the Gods]!"

The cry was repeated joyfully, the mass of Yuuzhan Vong bowing even lower and crying out their thanks to the gods. The chanting picked up speed, fervent gasps and cries rising up. The mass of Yuuzhan Vong swayed left and right, some repeatedly standing and then prostrating themselves again and again.

Cassa took it all in numbly, shaking her head slowly as she began to hear prayers that replaced Yuuzhan Vong deities with her name. "Stop it." She whispered softly. "Stop it." The chants grew in volume, the crowd seemingly lost in religious delirium.

With a cry, tears streaming down her face, Cassa switched to VongForce and practically screamed. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! I order you all to stop it!"

The chanting and praying dropped off instantly, turning the tampasi into a deathly quiet field of stunned Yuuzhan Vong. Cassa took a retreating step back into the hut in fearful disbelief.

A figure came rushing through the crowd, and pure relief coursed through Cassa as she recognized her mother's oldest Yuuzhan Vong friend. "Aunty Shaeri!"

"Of course you'd have to wake when the idiots would call a war-meeting," Shaeri said with a crooked smile.

Cassa embraced Shaeri tightly once more, her body shaking like a leaf. Shaeri just held the teen to her. "Shhh… it's okay, Cassa."

"What are they doing? I'm not a god," Cassa repeated, and as she did, her memory of her escape from Vongerella's base played back with Force-assisted stereo.

"In a world consumed by darkness, they need something…someone to believe in," Shaeri murmured apologetically. "Something to reassure them that everything will work out in the end."

"Me?" Cassa said in a small, little-girl voice.

Shaeri squeezed her own eyes closed as she walked Cassa back to the bed. "That is something I will never ask of you, my child. Say the word and I will put an end to the foolishness outside, damn what my husband and the warleaders say."

Cassa sniffled, not letting go of Shaeri's hand as she let the Yuuzhan Vong woman wrap the blanket around her shoulders and sat down with her. "Why does everyone have to look to me? Where's Sekot?"

"That, Cassa, is a very long story," Shaeri said sadly, keeping an arm wrapped around the petite teen. "A few years after your family left Zonama, the cult of Shimrra suddenly gained a massive following. Before the council knew it, the cult had full control over many of the major settlements. But that was only the beginning. They began to militarize our people once more. We did not realize it at the time, but the Dark Witch had already begun influencing Sekot then, using the planet like a yammosk to bring to light the darker nature of our race. A year after what you call the Killik War, _she_ arrived with her Slayers. The cult of Shimrra welcomed her with open arms. Those who believed in your parents' vision of a race that transcended war resisted the Dark Witch. A war broke out on the surface of Zonama, the followers of the Dark Witch against those who resisted their ideologies. Throughout it all, Sekot remained silent. Despite our best efforts, the Dark Witch and her followers began to win victory after victory. It became even worse when Onimi returned and seized control of the very planet itself. Shapers loyal to our cause managed to make a blind-spot on the planet. A stretch of land where Onimi cannot see and has no control over. Because he cannot see it, the warriors and creatures under his command cannot as well. It was only this blind-spot that has saved us these past years."

Cassa swallowed heavily. "And you've been hiding here ever since?"

"Our will was broken," Shaeri murmured. "Stepping outside this bubble exposes us to the telepathic waves that Zonama Onimi produces. Exposed for too long and we begin to lose who we are. Even worse is the fact that the longer we are outside the bubble, the more aware of our presence Zonama Onimi becomes. The Shapers modified cloakers to imitate the blind-spot effect, but their ability to stave off Zonama Onimi's senses lessens if we move. We are safe, yes. But we have also created a prison of our own. It is almost certain death to step outside the safety of the enclave."

Cassa absorbed the information silently, her teary green eyes studying Shaeri's kind face. "They were giving up, weren't they? The Yuuzhan Vong who resisted the Dark Witch."

Shaeri swallowed heavily and inclined her head slightly. "They were beginning to believe the Yun'o sided with her, yes."

Cassa rubbed at her eyes and turned away from Shaeri, her heart still thudding loudly in her chest. She stared at the far wall blankly for several long seconds, a myriad of thoughts racing through her mind like comets through the upper atmosphere of a planet.

"Do not make a decision now," Shaeri whispered. "Your parents would never forgive me for forcing this burden on you. I owe them so much more. We will find a way to survive, a way to win, Cassa. I will love and respect you as always no matter what your choice."

"We will too!" A voice called out from the doorway.

Cassa's teary green eyes grew wide at seeing two of her childhood friends, her jaw dropping. "Ganner Ra'ze?! Jae'na Rin?!"

"[I _knew_ you were the daughter of the gods]," the Yuuzhan Vong teen replied with a smirk. If the living implants decorating her fingers and shoulders were any indicator, it was clear she was following her mother's path as a Shaper. "[All those years ago, didn't I? I might not have the Jeedai ability to see the future, but I know the hand of the Yun'o when I see it]."

"Fancy way of her saying 'I told you so," the half-Hapan, half-human teen grinned.

Despite the teasing and the devout nature of her Yuuzhan Vong friend, the familiarity warmed Cassa to the core. The thirteen year old girl threw off the blanket over her, leaped out of bed, and grabbed the two in a crushing hug, sobbing. "I missed you guys."

"[It is good to see you well, Daughter of the Gods]," Jae'na chirped softly, returning the hug.

"Jae'na," Shaeri said sternly.

"It's okay, Auntie Shaeri, she can call me whatever she wants," Cassa sobbed, gripping her friends tightly. "I always knew she was a bit touched in the head anyways."

"I can agree with you on that," Ganner added, awkwardly patting the backs of the two girls. His comment had Jae'na try and stomp on his foot, but he deftly evaded the attack.

"How…what…?" Cassa looked back and forth to the two of them, a hand tightly holding each of theirs as if they'd disappear if she let go.

"[Domain Rapuung considered it their sacred duty to safeguard what was important to the Solo family]," Jae'na began softly.

"Being your friends, we fell into that category," Ganner shrugged sheepishly. "Well that and Jae'na's parents served the Avatar of Yun-Harla, is named after her, so Jae'na also had a whole bunch of Yun-Harla priests protecting her too. They didn't want to feel the wrath of Yun-Harla for letting her namesake die."

"Your parents?"

Both Ganner and Jae'na looked at each other uncomfortably, and Cassa felt a painful clenching in her stomach. Ganner answered almost reluctantly. "My mom and dad were killed when the Dark Witch brought her slayers into battle. Jae'na's too. It's why Domain Rapuung was so desperate to save me, Jae'na, and her little sister...didn't want to let your family down."

"Wait, 'little sister'?" Cassa's eyes were round as she looked to her friend.

"Mar Rin," Jae'na's head bobbed in confirmation. "She turned five last month."

Cassa sniffled and squeezed their hands, looking at the both of them apologetically. "I'm glad you two are okay.

"We missed you and Jedis'sei bunches," Ganner smiled. "How is our Twi'lek partner in crime?"

Cassa's face fell, and the other two teens saw it.

"[She is with the gods now?]" Jae'na asked softly, reaching out with her other hand and gripping Cassa's arm.

"I…I don't know," Cassa breathed out. She wiped out her eyes then squeezed each of her friends' hands again. "But I'm not losing you two too, got it?"

"[Yes, Daughter of the Gods]," Jae'na agreed solemnly.

"A long and happy life sounds nice," the other voiced.

Cassa released their hands and took a step back, looking them over once more. It _had_ been close to seven years since they had seen each other. "I can't believe you're actually here."

"That's our line," Ganner smirked. "When we heard you were on Zonama…most excitement this place has had since the Dark Witch took over."

"[And you are definitely looking like Jeedai]," Jae'na motioned to Cassa's robes approvingly.

"Where did I get these robes?" Cassa turned to Shaeri.

Shaeri smiled faintly. "They were your mother's. Domain Rapuung went through great effort and sacrificed some of their number to ensure that all of the possessions your family had left behind were transferred to this enclave."

Cassa bowed her head for a moment, and then walked to the window and peered through it. The soft glow of the multitude of lanterns reflected back in her pupils, her young eyes taking in the sight of hundreds upon hundreds of worshipers still praying and chanting. She swallowed heavily, a part of her wanting to run away screaming. But that was just a minority. The rest of her wanted to stand proud and tall. Wanted to face whatever destiny laid in store for her. These people viewed her parents as extensions of gods, put their entire lives in their hands in hopes of a better life. She was not about to turn her parents into liars, waste the years and years of work and the many sacrifices her parents had put in to uplift one of the only races she had ever known.

With first-hand knowledge of what Vongerella did to the Yuuzhan Vong, what she planned to do with the race, Cassa felt a reluctant resolve take root. So what she had to face a brain-washed sentient planet and legions of blood-thirsty Yuuzhan Vong and Force-sensitive Slayers? Her parents had taught her that the light side was only true extinguished if one gave up, if one let the dark side win. If there was hope, there was a chance of victory. If the Yuuzhan Vong needed her to be that hope, then she'd step up just like her parents had done nearly two decades earlier.

"Cassa?" Ganner stepped forward.

"Auntie Shaeri," Cassa whispered softly. She turned and resolutely faced her Yuuzhan Vong caretaker.

"Yes, child?" Shaeri replied, struggling to keep her expression from falling. She knew what Cassa had chosen and that there was no changing Cassa's mind. There was just too much of her parents in her and Shaeri could read the expression on her face as clear as if the sun was shining.

"[I'll do it]." Cassa said in Yuuzhan Vong, her voice unwavering.

"What exactly, child?" Shaeri asked tenderly.

The thirteen year old girl stood tall and motioned to the scene outside the window. "[I am the Emissary of the Gods. Chosen by the Yun'o to lead the Yuuzhan Vong into the domain of the Dark God Yun-Lingni and forever cast him out of the Pantheon. For those Yuuzhan Vong who follow me, they will be enlightened and I will finish what my parents, the Avatars of Yun-Shuno and Yun-Ne'shel, started and bring them into the bright future that awaits them]."

Shaeri couldn't hide the distraught look she cast the teen's way. Cassa, though, nodded. A small, timid smile on her face. "It's okay, Auntie Shaeri."

Shaeri surprised Jae'na and Ganner by lowering herself to the ground and bowing low just like the supplicants outside. "[I am your humble servant to command, Emissary of the Gods.]"

The two young teens looked worried to Cassa, but the young blonde allowed a frightened, lopsided Solo-smile at the two of them and winked. "Good, because I have no idea what to do next."

 **LotJB[IV]LotJB**

Traveling to Lorrd in a freighter seemed innocuous enough. But when the freighter's interior décor screamed 'dark side adherent' with plenty of reds and blacks and angular designs, and half of those onboard were devotees from the Church of the Dark Side, the One Sith's religious wing, nothing good could be expected. Then again, Siare reflected, these dark Jedi were hardly the 'I am evil and want to take over the galaxy' type. To make it even more confusing, these devotees weren't all that strong in the Force either, being slightly more powerful than Siare and Raxi, but not by much. In fact, 'religious fanatic' seemed a more appropriate title for them.

Even their clothing seemed more ceremonial than combat-functional. Gold-embroidered black robes were wrapped tightly around their bodies, covering every inch of skin save for the upper, shaven half of their heads. The cloth covering the lower half of their face was embroidered with ancient Sith symbols, and the exposed half of their face was colored an earthen red with black geometric tattoos of various designs. The group radiated 'dark side,' but at the same time there was no bloodlust, cruelty, or hatred in their Force signatures. Only a simmering disquiet and unnaturally still calmness that was actually more unnerving to Siare than murderous bloodlust.

Religious fanatic indeed.

"Peace is a lie, a state of mind created by those to hide from the trueness of the galaxy." Siare heard the almost chant-like incantation echo through the halls of the ship.

"There is only passion, our defense against stagnation. Our motivation that drives us to do what must be done."

"Through passion, we gain strength. The strength needed to bear the burdens of a galaxy in chaos."

"Through strength, we gain victory. Victory in the knowledge of ourselves. In acknowledging the darkness of our souls and thus harnessing it."

"Through victory, our chains are broken. We are freed from the shackles that bound us to our ignorance, free to ascend our very essence so that we may grow ever stronger."

In unison, the trio of acolytes voiced. "And the Force shall free us, shall empower us, and will do as we are bidden for the good of ourselves and of the One Sith."

Siare almost mouthed the words along with the trio, having heard them three times a day for the past week and a half of travel. In what had to be a scheduled event, the dark siders would gather for what Siare could only describe as a religious prayer and meditation session at certain times of the day and remain in their trance-like state for a good hour. They always finished their session with the most drawn-out version of the Sith Code that Siare could remember hearing.

The trio of Church of the Dark Side missionaries consisted of two males and a female, the female being a student of the leader of the group. Known not as knights, darths, lords, or any other title that one might normally associate with a Force-using order, the trio had informed Raxi and Siare that they were to be referred to as 'missionaries,' for it was their duty to 'spread the word of the truth of the dark side.'

The leader, Missionary Soban Adare, was a soft-spoken middle-aged human who appeared to belong to any dark side order as much as Siare would fit in with a tribe of Ewoks. The second missionary was a tall Twi'lek male, Zal Vao. The last member was Adare's student—'acolyte' Siare had been told was the proper term—a humanoid female who was called Khola Kozdoru. For the most part, except for meal times, the One Sith had kept to themselves.

Which was just fine with Siare.

As the last words of their chant died away, signaling the end to their ritual, the trio emerged from the cargo bay. Their leather sandals hardly made a sound as they tread upon the metal deck.

"You seem pensive."

Siare nearly leapt out of his chair, having not sensed the approach of the acolyte. "Blast it, Missionary Kozdoru! Don't do that!"

"I did not intend to surprise you," the soft-spoken acolyte said serenely.

"Yeah, well, in case you didn't notice, I see through the Force, kind of. And you're practically invisible in it," Siare grumbled, trying to salvage his pride.

"You are only as blind as you choose to be, Siare," the acolyte commented patiently. "As a follower of the dark side, we are taught to never accept such limitations. To also strive to go beyond them."

"My limitations are biological, not mental," Siare retorted. "Can't see if you don't have the ability to see in the first place, Missionary Kozdoru."

"Please, just Sister Khola. If we are to be on the same team, there is no need to use my formal title."

"Okay then, sister," Siare breathed out. "There's no way I can go 'beyond' my own abilities if my genetics say otherwise. It'll be like me growing wings or shedding my skin like a snake. Not possible."

"You have never encountered another one of our kind, have you?"

Siare was about to respond, but then replayed her words in his mind. His train of thought came crashing to a halt. There was no way she was one…was she? He couldn't have been _that_ blind. She didn't wear the standard veil that nearly every member of his race wore, didn't actively use the Force to see her surroundings. "Wait, what? You're a…"

She placed a finger to his lips. "Use your senses. Focus."

Siare clicked his tongue to use his unique Force-assisted echolocation, but stopped when Khola lightly pinched his lips close.

"Not like that."

"I can't see any other way," Siare said with a hint of frustration. "I'm not full-blooded Miraluka, and I've never…"

"Wrong thing to say," the acolyte reproached gently. "Instead, you should be saying, 'I haven't seen any other way, _yet_ '. 'I haven't seen another way, but I _will_.' If you close yourself off before even trying, then you will forever believe it to be impossible."

"Believe me, I've tried. Really tried," Siare said flatly. "You don't think I haven't? From the accounts of all my friends, I have the hottest girlfriend in the galaxy. I have to take their word for it because I can only see her for seconds at a time with my echolocation. I've gone into combat situations where the only reason I'm alive is because Raxi saved my damned life repeatedly because I was staggering around like a damned mole-rat. I've tried and tried, but the Force just isn't strong enough with me."

"Again with the excuses," Khola said almost teasingly. "The Jedi might have taught you to be at peace with yourself, to accept the hand that fate dealt you, but there is always a way for those to transcend themselves. To become better, stronger. Once you defeat your own doubts and fears, you'll be free to be the person you truly want to be."

"Through victory, my chains are broken," Siare quoted softly, the words slowly making sense.

"Exactly. Even if you do not accept our ways, I will still help you achieve your victory. It is the way of the Church of the Dark Side to strengthen all those around us to make the One Sith stronger as a whole."

Siare fell silent, his hands gripping his thighs as the offer dangled before him. How often had he dreamed of seeing the world around him in real-time instead of echoes? Of being stronger, better, so he didn't have to rely on others to protect him? His lack of true-sight had made him a liability at times, kept him off the front-lines and endangered the few friends he had left. Even recently, in the Old City, Raxi had nearly gotten disemboweled knocking him away from one of those creatures that had tried to claw at him. He had been fortunate that all his girlfriend had suffered for her actions had been a twisted ankle.

Then again, these were the dark side adherents, the 'bad guys' every child raised at the temple or Praxeums had been taught to resist, refuse. Taught that these adherents led the weak-willed down a path which very few recovered from.

"I'm not saying I agree to anything," Siare said hoarsely, wetting his lips. "But if…if I wanted to see…you know, really see. What do I have to do?"

"Hypothetically, you would join us in our meditations," Khola explained gently. "In the circle we are truly one with the Force. You would start by using our eyes to see the galaxy as it truly is. Then we would teach you how to use your own senses in ways that will make your lack of sight inconsequential. To view the world with the Force, the two of us would then meditate and share knowledge and experiences to fully open your eyes. It would be a prolonged endeavor, but it will be well worth it in the end. Hypothetically, of course."

Siare nodded slowly.

"View it another way," Khola said placidly. "What do you have to lose by trying it out?"

"I was taught that your way corrupted," Siare snorted. "Made people evil."

"And from my point of view, it is the Jedi who are evil," Khola replied back without a hint of malice.

"What? They are?"

"The Jedi Order permits so much suffering and despair. They turn a blind eye to politically inconvenient courses of action so it will not reflect badly on them. Rather than use their powers to set the law, they allow the vocal few to dictate to the rest how things should be done. They are self-serving, hypocritical, and veil themselves in the guise of 'good' to justify their existence. How can they be representatives of the Force if they turn a blind-eye to half of it?"

Siare had no response to that, his expression hidden behind his Miralukan veil.

"So I ask again. Will you at least try the solution I propose?" Khola repeated kindly. "If you still have reservations, do I seem like the crazed victim of the dark side your Jedi Order tries to paint people like myself as?"

"No," Siare said honestly, turning his head away from her as he realized he had spoken the truth. "No, you seem like a person with a good heart. Just choosing the crazy way to help others. Oh what the heck, like you said, what have I got to lose? I'm in…"

"Hey Siare, there you are."

Siare had his heart once more skip a beat at Raxi's voice. He clicked his tongue and saw her standing by the doorway to the common-room. He forced a smile on his face as he turned. "Raxi."

"Whatcha doing?" The Zeltron looked back and forth between the two Miraluka-blooded individuals.

"I was helping Siare realize he can aspire to be more than he is now," the dark side missionary said serenely. "As a species, we Miraluka are rare enough in the galaxy that we cannot afford to keep secrets from each other and hope our race will live on."

"Going over to the dark side?" Raxi's tone was joking, but Siare could hear her concern.

"Raxi, the galaxy is going up in flames. A mostly blind, half-Miraluka hybrid is no use to you," Siare exhaled. "Either I learn what I need to to truly be able to back you up, or I remain useless and get you killed because I didn't have what it took to have your back."

"Siare!" Raxi gasped, taking a halting step forward. "I never thought that you were useless or a liability or…"

"It's the truth!" Siare barked, and realizing that he had raised his voice at Raxi, he turned away. "Right now I can barely use the Force. Barely function with what little bit I can use. I'm not able to use words like you do. And because I'm blind, firing a blaster for me is a very bad idea. You, Seha, everyone else, you guys are the reason I'm still alive today. I can't keep counting on you guys to save the day. Can't keep being in debt to you because my own worthless ass thought it could keep up with all the galaxy-saving stuff you do. I need to pull my own weight, especially in these times. If these missionaries of the dark side can help me do that, then isn't that what's best for everyone?"

"Is it?" Raxi said softly, hugging herself with one arm.

"What do you mean? Of course…"

"I never once thought of you as helpless, Siare," Raxi interrupted, taking another step forward. "Never once saw you as dead weight or a burden. You've _never_ accepted the status quo, _always_ defended those who couldn't protect themselves. It doesn't matter that you can barely use the Force, can barely see, you only became stronger because of it. You didn't let either of those keep you down when you helped me, and Seha, and all the others rebuild the Old City. You _never_ compromised when it mattered, got furious when the government made deals with the crime-gangs to tidy up something that might have taken months to solve. I always admired you, even when we were younger, because you pressed on when anyone else might have given up. The dark side was never a solution for a reason, and I'm struggling to understand why you might even want to risk yourself with this."

"How can you understand me, Raxi?" Siare gritted out, feeling tears fill his sightless eyes. "Every day my world is complete blackness. I hear your voice and I can only imagine what you look like. Colors? What's that? Even my Force Echolocation only gives me the outlines of my surroundings, and for seconds at a time. How many times have you gotten hurt because of me? How many times have things gone wrong because I wasn't able to react quick enough? I should be dead several times over by now. I'm surprised I haven't gotten you or any of our other friends dead from my bumbling around. You should be supporting me in this, Raxi. A chance to be a better person, to finally see the galaxy on a regular basis instead of after-images."

"I am," Raxi let out a small choked sob of her own. "But only because it's what _you_ want, and I promised to stick by your side no matter what. Just don't…don't forget the kind and caring person you are now. The person I've come to care about more than anything. You know the stories as well as I do. Far too many Jedi have started down the path you want to walk, far too few have managed to return from it."

"But I will," Siare said firmly. He felt Raxi gently cup his face, so he pulled her into a tight hug. "I swear to you, Rali Xici, I won't let the dark side get the better of me. I care about _you_ too damned much to break your heart."

Raxi sniffled and hugged him back just as tightly. "And I'll be at your side every step of the way, Siare Amah. There's no way I'm going to let a dark side acolyte seduce you. _I'm_ the Zeltron, and the only seducing that will happen on this ship will be from me."

 **LotJB[V]LotJB**

"Gambler Queen," Wraith Squadron's Trey Courser said gently, pulling himself up to the top of the apartment complex in the heart of Coronet Corellia.

Myri Antilles made no effort to acknowledge his presence. Silent tears made tracks down her cheeks and glittered in the light of the rising sun.

"Myri," Trey murmured. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

Myri finally looked at him, her face pained for a second before schooling itself into an easy-going smile. "Hey Muscle Boy, when'd you get up here?"

"I just got here," Trey replied with a game smile, not mentioning the fact that he had been calling her name for the past couple of minutes. "Enjoying the sunrise?"

Myri released a breath and nodded. "No matter who's in control of the planet, it looks the same as always. Beautiful. Did ya need something?"

"How was the family visit?" Trey took a seat next to her.

Myri's expression remained forced as she glanced back to the sunrise. Her hands were folded in her lap, squeezing each other tightly. "Had a wonderful time. Haven't been home since Wraith Squadron recruited me so it was nice to see the folks again."

"Home-cooked meal, embarrassing stories of your youth, all that good stuff?"

"Now that they're both retired, they've entirely too much time on their hands," Myri emitted a choked laugh. "Dad's taking cooking classes at the Academy. Mom's brought these holobooks about all sorts of recipes and started a garden of her own. We had this amazing pig-dish garnished with home-grown spices."

Trey continued to stare out at the slowly waking capital city of Corellia. "And your sister?"

"She was there too," Myri's next laugh was more of a sob as tears continued to fall. "She sat at the table with me, mom, and dad and we talked and laughed about how our day had gone. She's still settling into her new job, likes it tons. I'm happy she's happy, you know. Just like old times."

"Myri," Trey murmured, looking to her as her words ended in a hoarse whisper.

The twenty-six year old Intelligence agent looked to her partner. "Don't look like that Muscle Boy. I had a good time, honest."

"You worried the heck out of Lead and the rest of us," Trey switched tactics. "Mind Boy told you not to go off on your own like that."

"It was something I had to do. Besides, it paid off," Myri reached into her jumpsuit and pulled out a datastick. "Security codes and ciphers for our next target. Mom even included the algorithm used to decide the next set of codes."

"Will the Diktat's people know they came from her?"

"Please, she may be retired, but she hasn't lost a single edge," Myri rolled her eyes and flipped him the datastick. "Give that to Comm Boy and maybe Lead won't demote me."

"He just might send you to Wraith Squadron Bakura on the other side of the galaxy," Trey deadpanned, returning the datastick to her with a toss of his own. "You promised him you'd be able to compartmentalize and handle going up against the Diktat and his people."

"We are!" Myri objected loudly, her emotions making her residual Joining from the Swarm War surface. "We know the risks and what must be done. If our sister doesn't get her head out of her backside, then she's a danger to everyone."

"But?" Trey raised an eyebrow. "Come on Gambler Queen. You know I know you better than that."

"Fine!" Myri almost shouted, rising to her feet and beginning to pace. "We are scared that our sister chose this path because of us! Are scared that Syal blames herself for our Joining during the Killik War. That that guilt is only amplifying the feelings she has towards the Jedi and the loss of her squadron during that war. We are terrified that it's these feelings that left her open to the dark Jedi running around this planet and have turned her into someone we don't even recognized anymore! And it's all _my_ fault!"

Trey rose and gripped both her shoulders, forcing her to look at him with tear-filled eyes. "It is _not_ your fault, Myri. Hundreds of thousands of people lost family during the Killik War. Do you see them all signing up to be Red-Blade supporters?"

"They're not Antilles, and they're not my sister," Myri objected, staring up at him pleadingly, needing him to understand. "You don't know the pressure she faced being my parents' first daughter. What everyone expected of her as we grew up. Every engagement changed her, every death made her further and further away from the sister that read bedtime stories to me when I was little. She had to be the best of the best, failure was not something she could stomach. All eyes were on her to continue the legacy my dad started. When I joined Corellian Intelligence she was at my graduation ceremony. She considered her assignment one that would protect me from all the bad people in the galaxy. Didn't trust anyone else to do it. When I got Joined…after she lost Lujayne…it broke something in her. I'm used to fixing problems, but for once, I have no idea how to fix this one. No idea where to start. Somewhere in that warped person she's become, my big sister still exists. But unless she wants to be that person again…"

"We're going to have to deal with her eventually," Trey said softly, letting his hands fall to his sides. "You know that, right? The longer she's in power, the more people she hurts…"

Myri squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. "I know. When that time comes, let me take the shot, okay? She's my sister. It should be me."

"We should go back inside," Trey gestured to the hatch, not exactly comfortable with affirming Myri's decision to assassinate her own sister. "Lead's going to outline our next move."

Myri sighed, rubbed at her face, and nodded. "Alright."

The two reentered the towering apartment complex. It was in the middle of dense thicket of similar towers in a residential district of downtown Coronet. It would be easy for one person to get lost in such an urban maze, and that was exactly what the members of Wraith Squadron Corellia wanted.

"Gambler Queen," the other members of the squad greeted.

"Nice of you to join us." Squad leader Sharr 'Mind Boy' Latt, added.

"Sorry sir, got lost in my thoughts and forgot the map to the exit," Myri replied. "Shouldn't happen again, any time soon."

"Key words, 'Any time soon'," Thaymes 'Comm Boy' Fodrick snorted. Though he was also a former member of Corellian Intelligence, he had been recruited to Wraith Squadron shortly before the Killik War had broken out and had only met Myri once in passing.

"Here, slice your heart out," Myri flipped him the datastick. "Codes, ciphers, blueprints to some places that would look more impressive as giant fireballs."

"That will definitely be useful," Wran 'Gun Boy' Narcassan voiced.

"Think that's something? How about a unit of Green Jedi who escaped the massacre?" Sharr Latt said evenly.

This caused the light banter between his subordinates to stop.

"Sir?" Myri raised an eyebrow.

"Going over the data for the One Sith assault on the Corellian Praxeum, I noticed a discrepancy in the body-count," Sharr said. "There are close to dozen Jedi unaccounted for that should have died in the attack. Also in the data is a report of a civilian shuttle being shot down towards the end of the attack and crashing in the forest. The retrieval team sent to examine the wreckage was found dead with lightsaber wounds shortly after."

"So at least one Jedi is still alive." Concluded Trey.

"One is better than none," Myri shrugged. "Especially since the other side has dozens."

"Exactly," Sharr nodded. "So, I'm sorry to disappoint all of you, but we're going to put off our campaign of terror and destruction for a little while longer and try to find our undead Jedi friends."

"They might see us as hostile," Thaymes warned. "If they think they entire planet is against them, they could stab first and ask questions later."

"They're Jedi, they're more likely to melt our brains first," Wran offered.

"They're Jedi, they can read our minds and our intentions," Trey corrected. "I've worked with some of them back when I lived in the Denon Temple. They'll be able to tell if we mean them harm or not. So long as we don't have any sneaky, ulterior motive when we find them, we should keep our brains unscrambled and bodies un-lightsabered just fine."

"The main problem I see is that the Red-Blades will be looking for them too," Myri said. "The last thing we want is to lead them to the survivors."

"Which is why we're going to tackle this from different angles," Sharr nodded. "Gambler Queen, Muscle Boy, since the both of you have experience working with and around Force-sensitives, I want the two of you to follow up on the Red-Blade search. Get yourself hired as local guides if you have to. Comm Boy and Gun Boy will try to 'think' like Jedi and predict what they're doing now and where they'll be. When Stage Boy gets back with his intelligence gathering, he and I will actively search for the Jedi parallel to the Red-Blade investigation. Any questions?"

The group shook their heads.

"Great," Sharr said. "Then let's get started. The sooner we can link up to the Jedi, the quicker we can minimize the impact of the One Sith on the population of Corellia."

 **I-V-I-V-I**

Syal Antilles stared blankly at the datapad in her hand, the memory of the previous night burned into her brain. Her little sister was dead, had done a stupidly reckless thing by visiting their mother and father, and had paid the price. Apart from stunned hurt, Syal felt anger bubble up to the forefront and squeezed the flimsiplast shell of the datapad hard enough to warp it.

Her comm chimed and she hit the corresponding button. "What is it?"

"Ma'am, Darth Moderus is here to see you."

"I can't tell whether you have guts or are just plain stupid for keeping the Sith in charge of this place waiting at the door. Let him in," Syal sighed. She saw the ruined datapad and sighed again, throwing the remains off her desk and towards a garbage bin nearby. The pad bounced off the wall behind the bin and fell to the floor, not helping her anger abate in the slightest.

The door to her office opened, and the true ruler of Corellia entered. He was dressed as she had always seen him, in black robes with a mask covering his face. He was a tall man, slender—seeming almost skeletal due to his baggy robes—but emitted an air of extreme danger. Syal swallowed heavily and stood behind her desk, hands clasped at the small of her back.

"Darth Moderus."

"Colonel Antilles," the One Sith leader said coolly. "I received a report that said your sister was present in your parents' house?"

"Yes, sir."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but your mother has background in intelligence, does she not?"

"She does," Syal said carefully. It was common knowledge and she wondered why the Sith was asking her.

"Would it not be a stretch, then, to say that your sister contacted your mother for intelligence on the defenses of Corellia?"

"My parents are loyal to Corellia," Syal said sharply. "They even called your enforcers the moment Myri showed up."

"So they say," Darth Moderus strode to the bay windows of her office. "If I were to probe her mind, would what I find there match with their version of events?"

Syal paled slightly. "That won't be necessary, sir. I can assure you, my parents would never betray this planet."

"I decide what is necessary or not, colonel," Darth Moderus whirled to her. "I have invited your parents down to Intelligence headquarters to provide a full accounting of the events. You are more than invited to watch. If they are as loyal as you say, they will have nothing to fear. If not…you may have to prove your loyalty to Corellia and the Diktat. There cannot be any doubts when it comes to one of the leaders of our great military."

"Understood, sir," Syal managed, her mind racing.

"I am glad," Moderus replied. "In other news. High Lord Naman Cha will be returning very shortly. I expect a full complement of fighters to escort his shuttle the moment it is in system. Ensure that they are the most loyal pilots at your command and send me their names. It will be your head should anything go wrong."

"It will be done."

"Good." Moderus headed for the door, his robes billowing with his motion. "I expect to see you this afternoon for the interrogation of your parents. Don't disappoint me."

 **II-V-II-V-II**

Valin Horn let the door to Colonel Antilles' office slide shut behind him. From his talk with her, he could already tell that she was fervent in her beliefs that Thrackan and himself could right Corellia. That her sister had been misguided and had endangered everything she had built up. But still, he had to make sure. Was Syal Antilles someone who would be a threat down the road? A pawn? An ally? Her driving force was her hatred and anger towards the Jedi and a deep-seated self-loathing that burned within her like a raging fire. She was just the sort of person the One Sith used for their own means.

And if she was too entrenched in their ideologies, he'd have to kill her.

He took his personal speeder back through the streets of Coronet and to the newly opened Sith Academy of Corellia. The green jeweled spire that had once housed the Jedi Praxeum had been turned into a red and black obelisk that seemed to absorb any of the morning light sent its way. Most of the damage the building had sustained had been left untouched, giving the structure a very skeletal and burnt-out aura that added to its foreboding image.

One thing had changed though. There was now a several-meter high black-painted metal wall surrounding the building, creating a courtyard of sorts. On top of the wall were a line of wicked-looking spikes. Each corner of the courtyard had a turreted tower, the laser-cannon resting atop the tower capable of repelling both ground and aerial attacks.

The guards at the gate saluted sharply at Valin's approach, though he could definitely sense their undercurrent of fear as he regarded each of them from behind his grotesque mask. He decided to just nod in approval instead of make them change their underclothes, and strode into the militarized compound. His black-robed figure was in contrast to the ash-white rocks all over the courtyard, his every footstep unnaturally loud as those nearby immediately stopped what they were doing to salute or bow low.

He ignored them, instead heading towards one particular section of the courtyard. There, several of the more stubborn Green Jedi apprentices who had yet to renounce the Jedi Order, even after several months of torment, were strapped to wooden posts and left exposed to the elements. Given that Coronet City was in the midst of a brutal heat-wave, the near-crucified young Jedi were not going to last long.

"Mirax Horn," Valin said without emotion, watching his mother and several others wearing slave-collars dribble water into the mouths of the hapless Jedi. The other slaves jumped and quickly stepped away, but Mirax ignored Valin and continued to tend to her current charge.

Valin's eyebrows rose behind his mask, and he briefly used the Force to examine the Jedi Mirax was tending to. The young human male was on the verge of dying, his body slowly shutting down after two full weeks of being strung up in the courtyard. It'd take an intensive healing effort to repair the body, and even more to repair the mind. Something that wasn't possible in the current atmosphere. Making a decision, Valin promptly pushed his mother aside and activated his lightsaber, plunging it into the dangling teen's form. He turned to face his mother's emotionless face.

"When I address you, you will respond, is that clear?" Valin said, forcing fury into his voice. The sound of his lightsaber activating hadn't gone unnoticed and there were dozens of people now watching what was unfolding.

"It is, _Darth_ Moderus," Mirax said coldly.

"You will not be so insolent when it is your daughter strung up on the post," Valin sneered back. "Lady Lamentia has located her base of operations and will crush her pointless resistance by nightfall."

"You underestimate the Jedi," Mirax returned.

"If they are all so stupid as to die for their beliefs like these fools are, I think not," Valin retorted. "They could have lived to fight another day. Saved themselves the pain. Instead they are going to die slowly and painfully, one by one. At least your husband understands the concept of choosing which battles to fight. He should have passed that lesson on to the rest of the Jedi he taught."

"Are we done, _my lord_?" Mirax's eyes burned through the narrow slits of Valin's mask, conveying a plethora of emotions that she was deliberately letting him feel. Ever since he had had her bury Tiu Zax as punishment for letting his former apprentice know he still lived, she had been decidedly frosty.

"You live only because your husband is useful, do not test my patience," Valin said darkly. "Go about your duties and do not try me further."

Valin whirled around with a dramatic swirl of his cape and headed for the main building. His goal was accomplished. Indoctrinated into believing that they were superior, the dark Jedi in the academy ignored Mirax and the other slaves, considering them beneath their dignity to notice. Knowing his own mother, Valin knew otherwise. He was well aware that his mother was using every single trick she learned from Booster Terrik to stay connected with the city outside of the walls of the academy. That she was more than capable of getting word out to the right people if she needed.

It didn't matter if Mirax hated him, he knew she'd pass on the information he had 'let slip in a moment of rage.' That Jysella would soon hear that her location had been compromised and would move shop once more. He smiled faintly as he thought about his younger sister. She was definitely playing it smart. Rather than invite attention with raids and strikes against the Corellian government, she had gone in the exact opposite direction. Pretty much no one knew where she and the other survivors were. Of course, it would have been a sign of weakness to plaster her face and the faces of the survivors on every holo-board in the city, so naturally those looking for her only consisted of the hunting teams led by a skilled, if not misguided Lady Lamentia.

Valin almost felt guilty that one of his first acts when High Lord Namman Cha returned would be to publicly execute Lady Lamentia for failing to bring in the Jedi fugitives. But she was dedicated to the One Sith, and it was his duty to weaken them wherever he could.

And he was determined to keep his little sister safe. After all, Valin mentally reflected, she'd need to bring him to justice for every single line he had crossed in the name of good.

 **LotJB[Chapter End]LotJB**

 **A\N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter…I probably won't be able to post an update to any of my stories until my health stablizes a bit. But I will try to have Side A 6, Forging Future 17, Darkness Light 3, and Side B 6 up before the year is out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

 **LotJB[I]LotJB**

"This way. Down here"

Cassa had followed Shaeri through the darkened tampaasi to a place a good distance away from the hut she had awoken in. Now, the current leader of the Yuuzhan Vong resistance was gesturing to a rocky hole in the forest floor. A hole that hadn't been present until Shaeri had stroked several nerve bundles affixed to the surrounding trees.

The blonde teen looked to Shaeri questioningly. "Down _there_?"

"Yes," Shaeri said with a tilt of her head, not offering up any more information.

Swallowing, Cassa carefully peered into the darkened pit. The lack of sunlight, of any light, kept her from seeing too far. "Okay, here goes nothing."

Cassa breathed out and dropped herself through the hole. The drop was not a long one, though she did land in a pretty undignified manner. It wasn't that she had been aiming to face-plant, but the moment she had entered the hole, a powerful surge of Force energy had nearly rendered her unconscious.

"Ouch." Cassa groaned, weakly picking herself up. The ground was loamy, but also felt very much alive. Now that she thought of it, the entire air around her felt teeming with energy. She shook off the shock of the fall and quickly looked around. "Shaeri?"

The hole she had fallen through had sealed itself up again.

But rather than pitch darkness, the cavern was aglow in a dazzling, peaceful display. Cassa gazed out in wonder at the vast underground field of lambent plants. The soft yellow-white light each stalk emitted was warm and welcoming, calming Cassa's fast beating heart. Gently running her hand through the field, the Force chimed through the tunnel as if summoning her. She slowly headed towards the source, sensing no hostility or danger but remaining cautious all the same.

Just as she was about to emerge from the lambent field, a stalk directly in front of her opened to reveal its living core; a beautiful white crystal that reminded Cassa of a full moon. Cassa reached out and pressed a hand to the pulsing crystal. She reached out with her unique Force abilities and could see the field of plants in an entirely new light. Where most Jedi capable of sensing Yuuzhan Vong life had to 'switch' over to Vongsense or strain to use VongForce, with merely a thought, Cassa remained immersed in the Force and connected to the surrounding world at the same time. In doing so, she felt the crystal before her reach out in turn, likewise existing both in the Force and in the Yuuzhan Vong realm of it.

"Thank you," Cassa whispered softly, extracting the living crystal and pocketing it with the utmost of care. She could feel the crystal's bond with her almost immediately and knew that the glimmering shard of alien life had somehow chosen her.

Another chime sounded through the Force. This time, however, Cassa could actually _see_ the energy ripple in the air. Like a mirage in a desert, the air of the cave distorted and twisted on invisible eddies. She couldn't help but gasp. Whoever or whatever was calling her was doing so in both Yuuzhan Vong and the regular Force.

Cassa's heart raced as she reflexively followed the call. The Force energies permeating the air began to coalesce in a bright ball of light that drowned out the glow from the lambent field she had left behind. She shielded her eyes from the unexpected brightness. When the glow had dimmed somewhat, and her vision had returned, her jaw dropped.

"Do not fear, young one."

"Sekot?" Cassa said hesitantly. The figure standing before her had taken the form of Nen Yim's younger sister Ahsi.

"That is what the children call me," the figure said with a tilt of her head.

"This is why Onimi can't see this place," Cassa gasped at the suddenness of the epiphany. "The shapers somehow saved you!"

"Saved?" Sekot smiled wanly. "Not saved. Not exactly. I am but a pale echo of myself. Existing but not existing."

The soft glow emanating from Sekot pulsed as the figure began walking through the underground cavern. Cassa hurried to catch up, realizing that the living sentience of the planet she had grown up on was not exactly as she remembered. "What…what do you mean?"

They arrived at an even deeper chamber, and Cassa had her answer. Pulsating amid a network of organic and inorganic computers and hybridized Yuuzhan Vong technology was the largest world brain Cassa had ever seen. Even bigger than the one that had controlled Coruscant. And grafted onto the brain was tissue Cassa recognized as having come from Zonama itself. She looked up at Sekot's avatar in awe.

"You have Sekot's memories but are the embodiment of the _dhuryam_ down there," Cassa breathed out.

Sekot looked at Cassa almost in amusement. "Yes. Master Shaper Nen Yim never thought that the lessons she learned from her teacher could ever be used for good."

"Lessons?"

"She recalled what was done to your mother on Yavin Four," Sekot answered evenly, staring back at the World Brain. "When the Dark Witch's forces began to gain ground, she led a team to the real Sekot's neural node and copied what she could into many _qahsa_ , taking samples of the cells that made up the nodes as well. Those were then grafted onto the _dhuryam_ as it was developing, much like Nen Yim's own memories were grafted into your mother's mind. As I said, I am but a pale imitation of Sekot, just as Onimi is an imitation of the being he once was."

"Where _is_ Nen Yim?" Cassa asked, having not seen the master shaper since her arrival.

Another flutter of Force energy, and Sekot abandoned Ahsi's form to take on Nen Yim. Nen Yim gestured towards the World Brain below, her expression nostalgic. "In one of the cognition shells below you, little one. Myself and several of our best minds needed to stay linked with the _dhuryam_ and thus have become a part of it. Together we are making the next cortex as we guide the _dhuryam_ and keep Sekot company."

Cassa's jaw dropped. "What?!"

"Onimi's apprentice is very skilled in not just the Jedi's Force but also the Yuuzhan Vong Force that both your parents and yourself have mastered. By remaining tied to the _dhuryam_ we are giving Sekot-reborn access to our life-forces to counter-act the much older and stronger Onimi-Sekot. We are also able to pool our thoughts to come up with ideas even quicker than by our individual selves. We have in essence, become _qahsa_ ourselves."

Cassa's eyes narrowed. She may not be much of a shaper, but she fully understood the basic concepts. "Even if we win, you and the others won't be able to separate yourselves from the _dhuryam_ will you?"

Nen Yim shook her head. "No, we are as much a part of it as it is a part of us. It was a necessary sacrifice to protect the last of our race not tainted by Onimi's apprentice. When She began to take over, the _dhuryam_ was not nearly ready enough to maintain Sekot's neural imprint. This was the only way."

"Do the others know?" Cassa asked softly, tentatively taking Nen Yim's hand.

The Yuuzhan Vong shaper glanced down to Cassa fondly. "Only Shaeri, her husband, and the apprentices of the Shapers here are aware of the true truth. The others believe that myself and the other Master Shapers have all died persevering our people. Do not worry or grieve, we are at peace, Cassa. Our minds will live on long after our bodies have become a part of the _d_ _huryam_ , will become an extension of this planet."

Cassa swallowed, feeling tears prickle at the corner of her eyes. "Cool."

Nen Yim's form rippled and was replaced by the image of the Ferroan Magister. "They have taught me much. Have shown me that all life is to be appreciated, protected. It is thanks to them that I am capable of sheltering the others."

"Why did Shaeri want me to know this?" Cassa asked, still holding onto Sekot's hand.

"So that you know that you will never be alone. I might not be strong enough to challenge my original form, but I will do my best to aid you however I can."

"Not going to say 'no' to a Force-sensitive planetary intelligence helping me," Cassa smiled faintly.

"I also know of the plan Shaeri has in mind. She was among those who had imprinted herself into my consciousness, and I am familiar with how she thinks," Sekot's form shifted into Shaeri. "She renewed that imprint upon your return to this world and her desire to protect you remains very strong. Know that I will do what I can to ensure your safety."

Cassas breathed out slowly, nodding. "Thank you."

"We are a part of the Force now, both the Jedi and the Yuuzhan Vong," as Sekot spoke, its image shifted from Shaeri to each of the Shapers and imprints it had within itself. Each figure bowed low and respectfully to Cassa. "And we will do what you deem necessary to restore balance to this world."

Cassa bowed in turn. "And I promise not to let you all down."

"We know you won't," Nen Yim said kindly. "Now, to get you started. You are first and foremost a Jedi, are you not?"

"I am," Cassa nodded. "But I also have to be this Chosen of the Gods."

"Indeed," Nen Yim inclined her head. "Are you prepared to take on such a responsibility, Cassa?"

"Is anyone?" Cassa smiled weakly, already having second thoughts but not wanting to disappoint all those who now looked to her for inspiration.

"True," Nen Yim's image shifted. This time Cassa blinked at the image of a ten year old boy staring back at her. This was one persona that Cassa couldn't ever recall seeing. "No one is truly prepared to take on the burden of an entire people. To be a symbol, a rallying cry. But do you believe you can?"

"I hope I can," Cassa asked in answer, wondering why the boy looked so familiar. "Who are you?"

"An imprint from another time," the boy smiled a mischievous smirk. "The name's Anakin Skywalker. I think you've heard of me."

Cassa's mind derailed at that and she was temporarily stunned into speechlessness.

"From what I've learned from the others, I went on to do a whole bunch of great things," the ten-year old Skywalker said with a chuckle, gazing back down at the World Brain. "Changed an entire galaxy several times over. Wizard, huh?"

Cassa nodded mutely.

Anakin Skywalker glanced over to Cassa. "I envy you, you know."

"You envy me?" Cassa rasped.

"I know my story after I left here," Anakin said with a sigh, sitting down on the ledge overlooking the World Brain. "My drive to prove myself to not only Obi-Wan but also to myself cost me more than I wanted. The way I stood out from everyone else and had no one to turn to when I truly needed help. How love so quickly turned to hate, how it destroyed me in the end. You have some of my blood in your veins. Only time will tell if you're the type of Skywalker who lets love win out… Or lets yourself be consumed by hate."

The form shifted back into Nen Yim's appearance, still seated on the ledge. "You are a Jedi, Cassa Solo. And to be a Jedi, you must carry the weapon of a Jedi. Close your eyes and immerse yourself in the Force. Just like you once did on Zonama in another time and place."

Cassa exhaled slowly and sat down cross-legged. This close to the _dhuryam_ , it was frighteningly easy to reconnect with the essence of the planet, even if it was only a part of it. The Force erupted through the chamber in a silent maelstrom, thrumming like a beating heart with every breath Cassa took. Motes of soft yellow and white light danced all around the seated teen, her face one of complete serenity as she shared herself with the vast planetary consciousness and it with her.

"We are a part of the planet now," Nen Yim murmured softly. "Allow us to guide you. Allow the planet to fight back against the forces that seek its corruption."

The ground all around Cassa shifted, minerals of varying types streaming out from the soil like a river of crystal and metal. The Force, Cassa's reserves and the strength of the planetary consciousness, flowed through the teen unabated. She raised a single hand and the stream of minerals rushed together as if the individual atoms were under her control. Some strands fell away, others joined in, the single grains whisking through the air on command.

"We share our strength to you, we share our knowledge, our experience," Nen Yim's voice was almost hypnotic as the rush of minerals swirled into a recognizable tubular shape in front of Cassa. "Our hopes, our dreams, our fears, our lives. They are yours to safeguard."

Cassa held out her other hand and the lambent crystal levitated out of her pocket and became the center of the swirling mix of glittering crystals and pieces of metal ore. The small shaft of swirling minerals closed in around the lambent and flared brightly. Red at first, then a bright, almost blinding white. The Force compressed the array of metals and crystals with a strength far stronger than any man-made machine. At the same time, it preserved the precious lambent within, sheltering it from any harm. The tube spun in the air like a fiery tornado, dross thrown off and separating back into individual grains, settling back into the ground surrounding Cassa. A chorus of invisible hammers worked the developing saber, shaping it with uniformed precision. Throughout it all, Cassa remained where she was, her breathing soft and even. The time passed slowly as the lightsaber was forged in the powerful Force energies of the two beings creating it. The underground cavern falling away as their senses reached out into the very stars.

"Our past, our present, our future, they will be decided in this conflict. The betrayal of our brothers and sisters was not unexpected. Even as bloodlines were shattered by the tempest wrought by the dark side, even as the exile returns and casts a shadow over all, we still live. Willing to sacrifice everything, to endure the inferno brought down upon us by the Dark Witch and her horde. In doing so, the Yuuzhan Vong will reach the revelation that if they cast aside their destructive tendencies, they will truly be enlightened. Truly be invincible."

Cassa opened her eyes at last, staring at the gleaming lightsaber casing floating before her. The last of the red glow died away, revealing its true nature in all its glory. She reached out and gently plucked the still-warm saber from the air, gazing at it in silent reverence. The casing was a matte black shell with white striations giving it a marbled appearance. At the butt of the hilt was a curved spike that seemed to be equal parts hand-protector and eviscerating tool. Cassa knew without opening it that all of the electronics—the emitter matrix, the energy resonators, the dials and buttons—had all been fabricated from scratch. She could feel the lambent trilling from within, evidently very happy with its new home.

Releasing one more slow breath, Cassa stood and activated the blade. A beam of moon-white energy emerged, with black arcs of energy crackling around the shaft almost opposite of the handle's appearance. Cassa gave the weapon an experimental twirl before deactivating the blade and bowing her head towards Nen Yim-Sekot.

"Thank you, very much."

"You are welcome," Nen Yim-Sekot inclined her head. "You should return to the surface now, Cassa. Just remember, if you should ever have need of me, reach out with your feelings. The Force, in all its forms, will be with you."

 **I-I-I-I-I**

Cassa was guided towards a different exit by Nen Yim-Sekot, emerging out into the open mouth of a stony grotto. A single thought moved aside a massive boulder that blocked off the entrance to the cave, and Cassa emerged out into a small antechamber of sorts. She dusted off the Jedi robes and took a moment to confirm that what had just happened hadn't been some really weird dream or hallucination.

Breathing in heavily from her exertions, the scent of something very appetizing filled her nose. Perking up and remembering that it had been ages since she had last had a proper meal, she looked towards the source. Also surprising her was just how much energy making her lightsaber had taken. She was pretty sure she could eat a whole bantha as an appetizer and still have room for a main course. Shaeri was seated atop a fallen, moss-covered log, tending to a small campfire. On the fire was a metal pot, the source of the aromatics.

"Please say you have enough for two," Cassa rasped, quickly scrambling over to her 'aunt'. "Or five."

"All for you," Shaeri chuckled, procuring a wooden bowl and handing it to Cassa. "I already ate."

Cassa eagerly accepted the bowl, as well as the stew-like broth that Shaeri ladled into it. Even in the flickering light of the fire, Cassa could see the contents and her eyes brightened. "It's been ages since I had this!"

"The Yuuzhan Vong in the main galaxy do not make it?"

"Well, they do," Cassa said, blowing on a spoonful before taking a sip. "But they're all different. Their supplies of Yuuzhan Vong food-stocks aren't exactly infinite so they substitute a lot. This one colony that was on Dathomir actually used Rancor and desert spider meat. They also have to use different spices since some of them only grow here…well, grew here. It just doesn't taste the same."

Shaeri chuckled as she sat back and watched the young teen demolish her serving of stew. "When we have won this war, I will be sure that the colonies all get fresh supplies of our traditional food-stuffs then."

Cassa slowed her eating, glancing at Shaeri over the rim of the bowl. "Do you think we'll win?"

"I think the alternative is not one I wish to contemplate," Shaeri shrugged. "How was your meeting with the _dhuryam_?"

Cassa lowered the bowl and swallowed her mouthful. "Amazing. Nen Yim…she's brilliant, to come up with that. To graft a World Brain that can not only tap into Zonama but also use both Force and VongForce."

"The brightest mind of our race," Shaeri agreed. "We are lucky to have her. And I see you have a new lightsaber."

"Nen Yim is brilliant," Cassa repeated with a nod, before shoveling another spoonful into her mouth.

"Slow down, Cassa," Shaeri smiled. "The last thing I want is to be the one responsible for slaying the Chosen of the Gods because she choked on my stew."

"Sorry," Cassa wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her robes. "Just _very_ hungry. It was amazing down there. I wish you could use the Force too, Auntie Shaeri."

"There are times that I wish the same."

"Soooo, what's next?" Cassa asked, serving herself another helping of stew. "I mean, Nen Yim told me I could count on her…the _dhuryam_ …Sekot Junior, if I needed help. But I'm not any closer to coming up with a plan."

Shaeri smiled faintly, gazing up at the darkened sky. "For starters, we put on a show."

"What?"

"My teachers—your grandmother, Garik Loran, Talon Kadre—all stressed the importance of image. You, Cassa Solo, claim to be the chosen daughter of the Yun'o, their emissary. If we do this right, no one on this planet will doubt that. Not even Onimi-Sekot and the Dark Witch of Yun-Lingni. Are you aware of the subterfuge your aunt employed during the war?"

"She pretended to be Yun-Harla," Cassa nodded, her bowl of stew sitting by her side, forgotten. She had heard countless stories of the Yuuzhan Vong war. Both from her human family, but also from the Yuuzhan Vong who had likewise lived through the galaxy-changing conflict.

Shaeri shook her head at Cassa's summation of events. "She did not pretend to be Yun-Harla. She embodied the goddess herself and for all intents and purposes _was_ Yun-Harla. All those around her treated her as such, from her friends, to her superior officers. She employed tricks and deceit and had to convince those who doubted that the divine power truly ran through her. Fact or fiction, it does not matter. All that mattered is that the Yuuzhan Vong _believed_ she was the goddess through word, act, and appearance."

Cassa paled slightly, swallowing heavily. "So…you and Jae'na and Ganner will have to bow and…"

Shaeri held up a hand, a gentle smile on her face. "Jaina Solo and those who developed the plan did so as outsiders of the Yuuzhan Vong belief system. They had to improvise, to convince the Yuuzhan Vong that an outsider could be chosen by the gods themselves. She was a goddess, and by extension, her brothers were avatars of the gods as well. When that became an accepted belief, the idea that outsiders could carry out the will of the gods was no longer so far-fetched. Because it is now accepted that the gods truly walk among us in the form of Jedi, we can dispense with many of the trapping Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin had to employ to gain acceptance among the Yuuzhan Vong. Most of the _E'ron Yuuzhan Vong_ already believe you to be a messenger of the divine. All we need to do now is confirm that belief with pomp and circumstance, and then free the planet."

"'All we need to do.' Great, I thought it'd be something hard," Cassa said dryly. Despite the survivors of Vongerella's take-over referring to themselves as 'Enlightened Children of the Gods,' religion still played a big part of their lives. Former priests still held roles of great respect. From what little she could remember of her time on the planet, she doubted anything but an all-out nerf and Wookie show would win them over.

"The first will no doubt be much easier than the second," Shaeri stood and rested a hand on Cassa's shoulder. "But do not worry. I may be out of practice, but I freed more than my share of planets in my youth when I served at your mother's side. I will be honored to continue that tradition with her daughter. As for the first part, you should find it…shall we say…fun. It will be a small part theatrics, and the rest pure you."

 **LotJB[II]LotJB**

"The target is self-proclaimed Prophet Dotan," the briefing officer aboard the _Admiral Ackbar_ put up the image of the One Sith dark Jedi for everyone to see. "All intelligence gathered indicates that this man is the One Sith's point-person for the Halla Sector and its neighboring regions. The territory under his control ranges from being full-hearted One Sith supporters to conquered systems with One Sith garrisons. It is unknown how many dark Jedi are under his command, but we believe he has only a dozen or so ships to safeguard this entire region."

"And what of the garrisons and ground forces?" A commando called out.

"As his title indicates, Prophet Dotan is a member of this Church of the Dark Side," the officer changed the image on the holo to reveal a glowing red and black triangular prism-like building. "Wherever there is one of these structures, you'll find One Sith ground forces. In all, intel estimates that he has close to two to three million individuals per sector acting as his enforcers on the ground."

Ben Skywalker remained silent as he sat among the soldiers in the briefing. He easily remembered this particular One Sith from seeing the masked man down the sights of his sniper rifle. Would like nothing more than to pull the trigger and make the 'dead' stick this time.

"From the intel gathered, the Church of the Dark Side isn't exactly a military force. At the same time, despite its name, it's not a fully religious institution as well. Instead, it combines the worst of both into a deadly combination. The two to three million individuals supporting the Church in this sector believe it is their divine duty to die in its defense and will do so without a moment's hesitation."

"Sir, forgive me for asking, but how did something called the 'Church of the Dark Side' get established in the first place. Aren't Jedi supposed to take care of dark Jedi stuff like this?" Another soldier asked.

As if expecting the question, the briefing officer activated a different holo-projector and a web-like display linking various worlds appeared. "The Church of the Dark Side was, until the unveiling of the One Sith, a mostly underground institution. The triangular buildings mentioned are only on worlds with weak or no ties to the Galactic Alliance, and thus outside of Jedi control. The Jedi barely had enough numbers to sustain peace in the first place, and planets reporting no problems were large left on their own. We are now receiving reports from places like Lorrd, the Tion Hegemony, and as far Trailing-ward as Bakura, of these structures and their corresponding Church of the Dark Side followers. Yet we also have large Church presences in places like Utapau, Dac, and Kuat without said 'churches'. In the Halla sector alone, it appears we have a mixed bag of both. Worlds that have openly supported the One Sith like Peg Shar One, Danuta, Celen, and Bimmisaari, have such buildings. Bos Pity, Cejansij, and Xoman Free do not, though recent scans reveal construction starting on similar buildings."

The officer clicked his controller and a segment of space became highlighted above the second projection. "Intel believes that this 'Prophet' spends most of his time moving between One Sith administrative centers in the Halla sector. The sighting of him on Peg Shar One only confirmed this. As we are now certain he is no longer on the planet, that narrows down our choices to Danuta, Celen, and Bimmisaari. Further analysis done by our number-crunchers has calculated a ninety-two percent likelihood of Prophet Dotan being on Danuta at the moment."

Another click of his controller and am image of a heavily defended military facility appeared, the angle of the photo suggesting that the picture was taken covertly.

"This is the Danuta Research Facility—formerly Danuta Imperial Research Facility—located in the middle of the capitol of Trid." The image changed to a second structure. "And _this_ is the former B'omarr Order Temple. As you can tell by the very recent addition, it now has a Church of the Dark Side pyramid attached to it. Intel is unsure whether Prophet Dotan is at the research facility or at the temple, which poses a very large complication. We are under strict orders from above to minimize civilian casualties and to avoid the destruction of the B'omarr Order Temple. This means that bombing runs, orbital strikes, and det-charges are off the menu."

"Why?" Ben Skywalker voiced his frustration. "Sir, you said it earlier. The only planets that have these pyramids are ones that have Red Blade waver supporters. These people practically invited the One Sith to set up shop, allowed them to use their planet as a stepping stone to conquer their neighbors. And the B'omarr Order is a dying order that even up to twenty years ago tried to forcibly recruit members and stuff their brains in spider droids. The galaxy is better off without both. The most useful they can be is if they let us vape them as we hit the One Sith in this sector."

"We have our orders, Corporal Skywalker," the briefing officer said in a warning tone.

Ben just sat back in his chair, disgruntled, shaking his head in disbelief. It was politicians and armchair soldiers like the ones in charge that had allowed the One Sith to appear in the first place.

The briefing officer continued his spiel. "Given the risks involved, and the fact that we don't have enough Force-users onboard to counter any dark Jedi Prophet Dotan may deploy in the event of a ground attack, command has decided on hitting both locations with our fighter squadrons. Those involved will hit both targets with their laser cannons only. Your fighters will be modified so the lasers will do a lot more damage than usual to ensure maximum effectiveness of the strike. The extra power generator will be situated where you would normally have warheads, meaning that you'll be going without any heavy munitions in this run."

"Colonel, my squad will volunteer for this," Red Leader, Poe Dameron, volunteered with a cocky smile. "This type of mission sounds like something that'll be right up our alley."

"Thank you, Wing Commander Dameron. But your squadron has already been assigned the reserve role."

"You're kidding, right?"

The briefing officer ignored Poe and looked to one of the other pilots in the briefing. "Captain Wexley, is your squadron ready?"

The bearded pilot glanced almost apologetically at a bewildered Poe before nodding. "Yes, sir. Blue Squadron is a go. Lieutenant Lintra is done breaking in the Eta-Fives and we're back to full operating capacity."

"Great. Captain Tico, is _your_ squadron ready?"

"Wait," Poe interrupted. "You're sending in Blue and Cobalt squadrons on this?"

"Admiral Bwua'tu ordered it, and Vice Admiral Holdo concurred," the briefing officer said, an annoyed tic forming on his forehead. "Captain Tico?"

"Cobalt is ready, sir," the female pilot acknowledged. She gestured to the black painted B-wing/E starfighters in their positions around the hangar. "The Stealth-Bees exceeded all expectations."

"Commander Dameron, Commander Kun," the briefing officer looked to the Wing Commanders of Black and Gold Wings respectively. "Both your squadrons will remain out of system at a pre-selected set of coordinates unless called upon. Cobalt Squadron, the research citadel is yours. Blue squadron, you have the Church of the Dark Side's pyramid."

"Understood." Multiple heads nodded at this.

"You have your orders. To your ships and may the Force be with you."

 **I-II-I-II-I**

Ben's grip on the steering column of his Chase-X fighter was white as he ground his teeth together. One foot tapped almost incessantly as he glanced at the chronometer once more. The fact that only a few minutes had passed since he had last checked caused him to groan and roll his head back. Waiting, sitting in his cockpit with nothing but stars and other frustrated pilots as his company was not conducive to any positive emotion.

" _Hey, Karé,_ " the voice of Red Leader broke up the almost agonizing monotony of waiting.

" _Poe_?"

" _Just because we haven't heard anything from Cobalt or Blue squadrons doesn't mean they don't need our help, right_?"

" _Poe…_ "

" _Hear me out. For all we know, the Red Blades could be jamming them. At the very least, we can secure an exit vector for the others when we jump in_."

" _Our orders are to wait here until we hear otherwise._ "

" _Come on. How is us, sitting here out of the battle helping us take the war to the Red Blades? I heard you in the briefing, Skywalker. You're with me on this, right?_ "

Ben blinked as he heard his name. "Errr…right. Sitting around here isn't getting anything done. I didn't train my rear off these past few weeks just to be a bench warmer."

" _For all we know, the One Sith could be jamming comms between us and the Ackbar too._ "

" _Or we could be having an equipment failure,_ " Stiletto Leader Karé Kun seemed to be warming up to the proposal.

" _Exactly. It'd be irresponsible for us to just wait out here while everyone's in trouble._ "

" _Very_."

" _Okay, Red Squadron. We appear to be having a squadron-wide communication failure with the attack force and our command ship. Those of us who don't want to wait around to find out if Blue and Cobalt Squadrons are okay are free to join me and Skywalker._ "

" _Stiletto Squadron, we have the same equipment failure. Must have been a faulty software install during that last maintenance upgrade. I'm going to follow Red Squadron into Danuta, you're free to join me._ "

Ben could only laugh at the joint announcements, glad that not everyone was going to let red-tape stand between them and red blades. "R-Five, ready to jump on your signal Red Leader."

" _R-Four ready as well,_ " Bastian added. " _Though I'm going to blame all of this on you Poe._ "

" _Hey, when we return as the heroes, I'll take all the blame_. _Red Squad, prepare to jump on my mark…and mark!_ "

All of Red Squadron leaped into hyperspace, closely followed by the Chase-X's of Stiletto Squadron.

They re-emerged into real space only a few seconds later and found themselves smack in the middle of a chaotic scene. Instead of the two Galactic Alliance squadrons fighting off a plethora of planetary defenders, there were two light cruisers, an Assault Frigate Mark II, and several squadrons of fighters IFF-pinging Galactic Alliance. Said group was tangled up with a badly battered _Imperial II_ -class Star Destroyer, one functional _Rejuvenator-_ class next-gen Star Destroyer, twice as many squadrons of One Sith fighters, and various supporting vessels.

" _What…?_ " Red Leader's confused whisper echoed the sentiments of those watching.

Ben was likewise confused, unable to do anything but stare dumbly for several seconds as the outnumbered Galactic Alliance fleet group was quite literally blowing the rears off of the One Sith forces. The two light cruisers and the Assault Frigate Mark II were coordinating their fire in way that could only be attributed to a Force-meld of sorts, devastating the remaining One Sith Star Destroyer seemingly at will. Even then, the One Sith were inflicting damage to the smaller fleet group, with fires breaking out on all three Galactic Alliance ships, and GA fighters vanishing in balls of flame.

" _Errrr…Galactic Alliance force, this is Red Leader off the Ackbar. Uhhhh, do you need a hand?_ "

" _You guys were supposed to be waiting at the relay point_ ," came a male voice in response, sounding just a little surprised and miffed at the same time.

" _Yeah, we don't exactly do waiting well. Not when we can be taking out Red Blades._ "

" _Red and Stiletto Squadrons were picked to stay behind because someone said you guys were the best_ ," the voice was definitely annoyed now. " _We just let several One Sith ships go because they were headed your way and we were counting on you to stop them!_ "

" _Well we never got the memo, and you know it's rude to order people about without introducing yourself._ "

" _Jedi Knight Tarmas Smith, colonel in the G.A.G. And thanks to your impatience, Lord Dotan has just escaped the trap we created! Not only that, but the lives lost in this fight are now completely meaningless!"_

Ben felt a sinking feeling in his stomach at those words. He had been so sure that coming to Danuta had been the right choice. The Red Blades were present. Prophet, Darth, whatever Dotan was present. Red Blade supporters were present. Had he been so eager to kill them all, that he had lost sight of the bigger picture?

" _Listen, Jedi Smith. Our orders were to kill this Lord Dotard. We didn't know about the plan and if we were told…_ "

" _Then Lord Dotan would have sensed the impending danger and chosen a different escape route! These are dark Jedi, they can sense when someone is trying to kill them. You were deliberately left out of the loop so the Force would not let him know ahead of time. Both your squadrons had a superb record and a commendation for bravery. The record didn't mention just how selfish you were. This war is a lot bigger than your ego and bloodlust, commander. Comm-officer, contact Jordyn and Kira, and recall the fighters. We're pulling out."_

Ben's awful, stomach-churning feeling only intensified as he realized what the GAG Jedi was saying. The strafing attacks had been planned in advance so that Dotan would sense the danger. The GAG fleet ensured that Dotan would flee. And because Red and Stiletto Squadrons just thought they had to wait, Dotan would never have realized that they were a threat. Ben swallowed heavily and toggled his comm. "No, we can fight. If we take out the One Sith here…"

" _More people will die and the One Sith will still have a presence in this sector_ ," a female voice cut in sounding very sympathetic. " _Sorry, I couldn't help but interrupt. Tarmas spent the better part of a month and a half planning this and has every right to be angry. Oh, and I'm Jedi Knight Kira Dunton. Listen the entire purpose of this mission was to capture Lord Dotan. Not kill anyone we didn't have to. The Force is an instrument, but not of war._ "

"What? It's an instrument of peace then?" Ben snorted darkly, his anger flaring at being lectured about the Force.

" _Yes._ "

Ben saw a One Sith frigate flare out as a GA light cruiser lit up its mid-section in a deadly barrage. Nearby several fighter squadrons on both sides traded casualties, fighters blowing apart as if caught by a vicious wind. "Then what do you call all this?"

" _Peace comes in many forms. You more than likely know that the Jedi believe that there is no emotion, only peace. We in the Galactic Alliance Guard, however, believe that the two are not absolutes that cancel each other. After all, only Sith deal in absolutes…Sith, and Jedi who follow the code verbatim. Peace is not the galaxy's natural order. To attain and maintain peace, one must have the power to fight the galaxy's inherent nature to revert to chaos. To have that power, one must want peace with enough passion to be willing to fight for it. Often war is the result of this conflict. But wanton killing of those who do not believe as you do, revenge, hatred, they all stem from that chaos and will lead you further away from peace. Such actions may sate you for a time, but that peace would be a lie, would blind you to the choices you are making. Like now, for instance….Skywalker, right?"_

Ben stiffened in his seat, even as he guided his fighter into formation with the retreating Galactic Alliance ships. "What…how did you know?"

" _You're a void in the Force, right now,_ " Kira said tenderly. " _Nothing but suffering and anger escapes. Please, think about what I've said. Misery only leads to more misery. Only when you learn to accept that hurt as a part of you, not give in to it, will you finally feel some semblance of peace."_

The teenaged Jedi closed his eyes, feeling tears once more begin to roll down his cheeks. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry that some of your people died for nothing."

" _Not for nothing. Tarmas was a little harsh there. They died fighting for peace, for what they believed in. They died knowing that others are going to continue that fight for all those not strong enough to stand on their own. And…for what it's worth, I'm sorry your own friends have rejoined the Force._ "

"Thank you," Ben whispered back hoarsely, bowing his head. The Jedi's words recycled themselves in his thoughts, and even when he jumped to hyperspace with the others, Ben didn't even register the blue vortex around him.

 **II-II-II-II-II**

" _Irresponsible! Selfish…Disobeyed a direct order! Never in all my years have I seen something so disgraceful as two veteran leaders who should know better, do something as boneheaded as this!"_

Ben and the other members of Red and Stiletto Squadrons all winced at the shouting coming from the door. Inside were both Karé and Poe, receiving a dressing down of a lifetime. All of them continued to look down at their feet guiltily. With their squadron leaders were the three Jedi whose plans had been ruined, Vice Admiral Holdo, and Admiral Bwua'tu.

" _I have half a mind to throw you both in the brig! But as things stand, we happen to need pilots of your caliber and you two in the brig will only get more people killed…Let me finish. Both of you are demoted, two ranks, effective immediately."_

 _"Two ranks!?"_

 _"Yes, Lieutenant Dameron,_ " the deeper voice of Admiral Bwua'tu took over the scolding _. "Or should I also demote each and every pilot who decided that following the both of you was a good thing? They're all capable of independent thought, right?"_

 _"No…sir. I mean, yes they are, sir. Two ranks works for me."_

 _"Admiral Bwua'tu, I know you are an honorable man, but we cannot trust the Ackbar with future missions because of this. If two whole squadrons are willing to go rogue, then the others must have a similar mentality,_ " the voice of a second female, Jedi Knight Jordyn Morril, said in firm tones. " _The Ackbar, however, is free to continue your hit-and-run tactics on One Sith targets of opportunity._ "

" _If you are willing to take a recommendation, Admiral Cheb aboard the Ansta is a highly capable strategist. He survived the Killik War with honors, so you can expect the reliability I've come to expect from_ _ **all**_ _my people. Vice-Admiral Holdo will accompany you to smooth over any questions about the chain of command._ "

" _Thank you, Admiral, Vice-Admiral. We'll look Admiral Cheb up next_ ," the voice of Jedi Knight Tarman said amicably. " _We have an idea where Lord Dotan has fled, so we just need to plan accordingly._ "

" _If I might ask, Jedi Knights, the three of you are very invested in this Dotan,_ " the voice of Admiral Holdo said aloud. " _I do not presume to know anything about the ways of the Force, but is this Dotan person really that important in One Sith hierarchy?_ "

" _Yes and no,_ " Jedi Knight Morril's pained voice filtered through the door. " _Ellis Dotan was once our master before succumbing to a really unhealthy desire for power. He disappeared shortly before the Killik War and was presumed dead. Those reports were obviously mistaken. Our primary objective is to capture him and learn more about this Church of the Dark Side. But, as you can obviously tell, we have our own personal reason too._ "

" _We won't take any more of your time or resources, Admiral, Vice-Admiral. We apologize for the time we have already taken and the loss of some of your pilots from Blue and Cobalt Squadrons._ "

" _It is a war, but your thoughts are appreciated._ "

The door to the admiral's office hissed open, and the pilots waiting outside all snapped to attention as the trio of Jedi emerged. A Zabrak, a Rutian Twi'lek, and a slender, dark-haired human stepped by the pilots without a second's glance. Though the Twi'lek did stop briefly in front of Ben and place a sympathetic hand on his shoulder before moving on. The violet-haired Admiral Holdo followed the Jedi down the hallway, similarly ignoring the line of pilots.

"The rest of you, in here, now." There was not an ounce of patience in Admiral Bwua'tu's voice.

Swallowing, the others shuffled in, standing in a single row. Some were pale, as if facing their execution. Others had no emotion at all. Only Ben's face, however, portrayed a mix of anger and grief, his clenched jaw and forced outward gaze betraying both.

"Just so you fine, upstanding soldiers know," the Admiral said with barely veiled disgust. "Blue Squadron lost four pilots with another three injured. Among the dead is Captain Wexley, who died ensuring that Lord Dotan's shuttle took the desired course out of the system. Due to the research facility having an unexpected squadron of air-superiority fighters inside it, Cobalt Squadron has one injured and seven dead, including Captain Tico. The survivors are being folding into Blue Squadron as we speak. I do not enjoy sending good men and women into combat, and quite possibly to their deaths. I despise it even more when short-sighted pettiness turns what should have been an honorable death into an exercise of futility. If you want to kill Red Blades and those that support them, I admire your determination. You get our people killed in the process again, and I'll give you a recommendation when you go sign up with the Red Blades. If any of you disobey another direct order, I will have you removed from this ship and providing escort duty for garbage trawlers. Am I clear?"

In unison, the pilots replied. "Sir, yes sir!"

"Get out of my sight. You'll have your next assignments as soon as command sends us a target."

 **III-II-III-II-III**

Ben Skywalker heard his expletive echo in the nose-cone of the Star Destroyer and he decided to stupidly punch the nearest bulkhead. He ignored the stinging pain and hurled the empty can of beer in his other hand in the direction of the echo. _What am I doing, Kani? I could really use some of your sage advice right now_. _Something, anything._

A klaxon alarm sounded throughout the ship.

" _All hands to combat stations. All hands to combat stations. Pilots to your fighters. Pilots to your fighters. This is not a drill. SigTel has intercepted information that One Sith forces are massing near…_ "

Ben didn't bother to finish listening to the rest of the announcement, already in motion. That was all the sign he needed. If the Force truly did exist, it must want him to vape more One Sith. Maybe it would be only then that he'd finally feel some semblance of peace.

 **LotJB[III]LotJB**

Darth Moderus stood on the platform for dignitaries, side by side with the Corellian Diktat Thrackan Sal-Solo, head of the Corellian Centerpoint Core Protectorate Anakin Sal-Solo, head of the Corellian Starfighter Command, Colonel Syal Antilles, and a host of other leaders of the One Sith Corellia. He projected no emotion, nor did he move as he stood patiently at the end of a red carpet.

All around, the nearby high-rises were draped with One Sith banners that fluttered in the morning breeze. Large hover-platforms held the thousands that had come out to welcome the arrival of One Sith inner-circle member High Lord Namman Cha. Streamers, confetti, those gathered were ready to greet the dark Jedi as if he were their personal savoir and hero. He could hear their hearty and genuine cheers, could see them strain their gazes towards the sky awaiting the arrival of Namman Cha's shuttle.

Which was exactly what Valin wanted. He had gone for a full media blitz in the week leading up to Namman Cha's return. Had set up the usual talking heads and other 'experts' to discuss the benefits to having such a powerful member of the One Sith take personal interest in Corellia. Corellia was 'special' above all other Core-ward systems to have been chosen as Namman Cha's headquarters. Namman Cha, a visionary who would make Corellia a galactic powerhouse once more. Namman Cha, a beacon to shine light on the falsehoods the Jedi had tried to force down the throat of a battered and broken galaxy. Most of Corellia probably had no idea who Namman Cha was, yet they now preferred him over their own local politicians.

Never mind that Namman Cha was a brutal murderer who was responsible for the deaths of several CorSec agents during the Galactic Civil War. Or that Namman Cha was part of an organization responsible for the deaths of millions, if not billions of people. Who cares that Namman Cha's only loyalty was to himself, that he had not a single care for the people of Corellia other than if they were useful to him or not. To the Corellians, he was their ticket into the One Sith upper echelons. He would be their voice and ensure Corellian supremacy from here on out.

Such was the power of the media.

The ranks of the CCCP lined the streets in their gleaming stormtrooper-inspired crimson and orange uniforms, Bloodstripes painting the pants-legs of the officers. Hover tanks, missile platforms, speeder-force, legions of soldiers loyal to the new establishment. Corellian Dreadnaughts sat in low orbit, their profiles clear in the morning sun like omnipresent heavenly guardians of the people. Several flights of Corellian attack fighters flew above the crowd, releasing fireworks to their delight and entertainment. More starfighters performed intricate parade maneuvers, defying death itself with their precision flying.

Ignoring it all, Darth Moderus saw his comm-officer off to the side give him a nod and flashed five fingers at him. In turn Valin made a gesture to the technicians on an adjacent platform. They flipped a switch and giant holo-screens were floated into the view of the crowds. The screens flickered on, showing the underside of the _Imperial II_ -class Star Destroyer, the _Battle of Talus,_ that was Namman Cha's personal flagship. A count-down timer appeared, and the crowd began to cheer as the five-minute designator counted down. The seconds scrolled down, the red numbers flashing gold every thirty seconds, pulsing brightly at every minute.

The tension built. The other dignitaries in the sky-booth with Darth Moderus grinned nervously at one and other, rubbing their hands on their fancy clothes as they riveted their gaze on the countdown.

Darth Moderus kept his eyes closed behind his mask, feeling the present of Namman Cha flare as the One Sith elite boarded his shuttle. He heard the cheers from the crowd increase in volume as the shuttle departed the hangar bay and the count-down timer reached zero. Could hear the narration of the news anchors calling out every moment of Namman Cha's approach. The Corellian Starfighter Command honor-guard swooped into position around the shuttle in standard diamond formation.

These pilots were hand-picked by Colonel Syal Antilles herself, were the most loyal Corellian pilots wholly dedicated to the One Sith and its cause. Darth Moderus knew this because he had scanned their thoughts during the pre-ceremony preparations. He knew that these pilots would happily kill the enemies of Corellia, of the One Sith, with very little incentive. Syal Antilles had chosen well.

Too bad for her.

Darth Moderus kept his thoughts devoid of any emotion as he watched the shuttle begin its final approach towards the landing pad, the starfighter escort peeling off one by one. He could feel Namman Cha onboard, feel the man's impatience and annoyance at all the pomp and festivities.

And then the starfighters that had peeled away sudden swooped back in. The crowd cheered again, thinking it was more brazen acrobatics. Darth Moderus' eyes darted to Syal to see the alarm on her face, knowing that the maneuver wasn't part of any performance.

As the shuttle slowed to land, the fighters opened fire in unison. Rapid-fire green lasers spewed from the twelve starfighters and immolated the shuttle in a blink of an eye. The explosion of the vehicle was made even more impressive by the violent Force backlash of Namman Cha's own body vaporizing in the intense barrage. The Force backlash caused the fire to blow upwards in a hypnotic, fast-widening tornado of flame and debris.

The jubilation and cheers quickly turned to screams of terror and panic.

The fighters looped through the narrow speeder-lanes and then set up an attack run on the VIP box that Darth Moderus was in. Next to Darth Moderus, Syal was frantically calling in for additional support, her thoughts running at lightspeed as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. Thrackan's own people hurried the Diktat out of the box as the squad of starfighers opened fire. The protective shielding, meant to ward off sniper fire, was not designed for the intense barrage and crumpled before the first volley had even ended. More than a dozen dignitaries, politicians, military officers, the comm-officer who had signaled Darth Moderus earlier, high ranking Corellian dark Jedi, were blown away as quickly as Namman Cha's shuttle had been. Darth Moderus himself was hit by a laser blast, but absorbed the energy and used it to put up a Force shield to deflect the next laser sent his way.

Ear-splitting shrieks filled the air and the contrails of a dozen missiles rained down from above. The missiles slammed into each of the traitorous fightercraft, turning them from intricate machine to melted ball of metal in a blink of an eye. And just like that it was over.

The VIP box was a smoking mess, charred holes, bodies, sparking electronics. Those who had survived were gazing at the destruction in complete shock.

"Security team," Darth Moderus snarled, the front of his black robes still smoking from the laser blast he had taken. The guards that had quickly filled the box snapped to attention, their own fear spiking. Darth Moderus whirled around towards Colonel Syal Antilles, who was still in communication with the fighters now securing the area. "Arrest Colonel Antilles for high treason and the murder of Namman Cha!"

Syal's head immediately snapped around. "What?! Darth Moderus I…"

"You handpicked those pilot who just tried to kill us, did you not?" Darth Moderus pressed with a sneer in his voice. He could see several holo-cam droids float in range to record what was happening and silently thanked the persistent nature of the media. "You gave me your assurance that they were the most loyal of your pilots. But now I have to wonder just who they were loyal to. It is evident that treason definitely runs in your family. You are lucky I do not kill you right here and now. But we are in a civilized age and you _will_ stand trial for jeopardizing all of Corellia with your misguided sense of loyalty."

" _I_ am a member of the Corellian…"

Darth Moderus cut her off with a sweeping arm gesture. "You are a part of the Galactic Alliance and a traitor, take her away."

The security personnel quickly arrested Syal and hustled her out of the box. When they were gone, Darth Moderus turned towards the holo-cams. "It is clear that the taint of the Jedi runs much deeper than first thought. If you are loyal to Corellia at all, then you will assist the One Sith as we track down the culprits to this heinous crime. There will be no mercy for those who shelter the Jedi behind this attack, for those who choose their own selfish desires over the hopes of a brighter future for all of Corellia. If it is incentive you need, a two-million credit reward for those that turn in a Jedi apprentice. Five million for a Jedi Knight. Ten for a master. If the sympathizer is not a Jedi but is working against the interests of this great planet, then you will receive a hundred-thousand credits per head. I will tell to my subordinates what I will tell to the rest of you loyal Corellians, turn this city upside down. I want the Jedi found, and I want them found now!"

 **LotJB[IV]LotJB**

"Strange," Raxi muttered as their shuttle approached Lorrd.

"Strange?" The leader of the trio of dark siders, Soban Adare asked.

"I would have expected some sort of security vessel challenging our arrival," Raxi said. She motioned to the planet. "We're a strange shuttle arriving unscheduled in the middle of a war. Yet, their traffic-controllers give us permission to land?"

"Not so strange," Soban said with a patient smile. "The Church of the Dark Side is present on this planet. We are using their transponder codes."

"What do you mean, present?" Raxi said in surprise.

"Did you really think the One Sith capable of conquering the entire galaxy through fear and violence alone? There are many systems that have willingly and happily supported the One Sith after seeing the truth about the dark side and all the benefits that it brings."

Raxi gaped at the missionary. "So Lorrd is already a One Sith planet?"

"Unfortunately, no. At least not yet," Missionary Zal Vao answered, entering the cockpit with the two Miraluka members of their group. "My younger sister is stationed here. She tells me that the planet is currently deciding their path. Two siblings, believe it or not, hold the fate of the planet in their hands."

"How's that?" Siare asked.

"Brothers, Acae Luxe and Coro Luxe," Zal elaborated. "Acae converted to the Church of the Dark Side two years ago and has been steadily gaining political clout. He intends to run for the head of state and advocates for a Sith Lorrd. The current head of state, Coro, is a supporter of the Jedi Order and desires a Jedi Lorrd but has been losing ground as of late."

"The Church of the Dark Side really is that popular?" Raxi said in confusion.

"It would not have been if not for the Yuuzhan Vong War and the lack of attention the Galactic Alliance has shown the planet," Zal answered. "The misery and suffering had many on the planet turn towards an older religion of theirs. It's called Vianism. Coincidentally enough, its practices are rooted in Force-based traditions. When the first missionaries of our church arrived, it was fairly easy to reconcile the two religions. Lorrd is not yet One Sith, but at the same time, it is not fully Galactic Alliance either."

"Basically you're taking us into the middle of a civil war," Siare said darkly. "If your people are here, then why couldn't they just transmit the data we need to Denon?"

"The data is in the hands of Lorrd University," Soban said with a chuckle. "An institution that is firmly backing Coro and the Jedi. And it is not war, at least not yet. Elections aren't for another year and people are still choosing sides."

Their shuttle coasted through the clear skies of Lorrd City, the once sprawling capital of the university-planet. Bombarded back into the stone-age by a Yuuzhan Vong fleet during the war, the city was only now just recovering two decades later. Being in the outer reaches of the Outer Rim and of little tactical significance meant that it had been a low priority for GA reconstruction funds and had had to make do with regional support. There were still vast craters that dotted the landscape where plasma bombs had leveled whole blocks. Barely any buildings taller than ten stories survived, the burnt out husks of the taller structures standing out amongst a jungle-like collection of pre-fab shelters and smaller, permanent buildings.

The crew looked on in silent respect. A planet that had once had a population of billions had been reduced to hundreds of millions over the years. Some native Lorrdians left the war-shattered world for better opportunities abroad, others died from malnutrition or other illnesses as the weak central government couldn't provide for everyone.

The shuttle flew by the darkened streets en route to a ring of tents that was illuminated by a series of torch-lights. In the middle of the ring was a triangular pyramid a dozen stories tall and as wide as several city blocks, the structure casting an ambient red light to match the flickering torches. Smaller triangular buildings the size of houses dotted the outskirts, forming a small wall between the large pyramid and the city of tents that surrounded it.

"The head of this chapter of the church is High Prophet Toparic," Soban said calmly as he guided the shuttle to land in a patch of empty ground. "He reports to Darth Cronal personally."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Siare asked skeptically. "Anyone can call themselves a darth if they kill enough people and are psychopathically deluded enough to think they can take over the galaxy."

"Darth Cronal is so powerful that even your vaunted Luke Skywalker couldn't kill him," a bit of annoyance crept into Soban's voice. "He has escaped death three times due to his faith in the dark side. As a messiah for the dark side, he is the leader of the High Prophets and commands the legions of faithful who dedicate their lives to the tenants of the Church of the Dark Side."

"You've drank the juma juice too, right?" Siare said sidelong to the other Miraluka.

Khola tilted her head, her lips quirking into a smile. "There is more than one meaning to opening one's eyes to the truth. The Church of the Dark Side is all about self-empowerment, of surpassing limits and making one's future better instead of waiting for someone to change that future for you."

"Don't forget trampling those who don't measure up," Siare retorted.

"If you cannot stand up for yourself, then you have wasted the strength the Force has given you and deserve to be trampled upon," Khola shrugged.

The shuttle touched down and the group emerged. Awaiting them was a tall, gray-bearded man in gold-lined black robes.

"High Prophet Toparic," Soban and the two other members of the church immediately went down on bended knee.

"Brother Adare," Toparic said benevolently. An impressive trait considering he radiated an oppressive aura that just felt wrong. His yellow-red eyes were glimmering malevolently in sunken eye-sockets, his pale white skin looked almost like a leather-wrap stretched around a skull, and his lips twisted into a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Stand."

"Thank you, High Prophet. Lord Malleus sends his greetings."

"The other two? I sense the Force in them, weak as it is."

"One is contemplating conversation, High Prophet. The other is his lover."

"We always welcome new converts," Toparic answered monotonously. "What can my humble flock do for you, Brother Adare?"

"Myself, Brother Vao and Sister Kozdoru seek information held within the databanks of the Lorrd University."

"That is unfortunate."

"High Prophet?"

"Prime Minister Luxe has declared the Church of the Dark Side a terrorist organization this morning and is gathering forces to march on our camp."

"Why would he do such a thing, High Prophet?"

"Some of my flock have taken our teachings in an extreme light and have attempted to remove him from power. Several dozen died in the bombing. Naturally, he blames all of us for the actions of a few and viewed the assassination attempt as a One Sith grab for power. We must defend ourselves from this aggression and are readying for the attack."

"High Prophet, maybe we can resolve this without fighting," Raxi spoke up. Like Siare, she had remained standing in Toparic's presence. "Both Siare and myself have been raised among Jedi. If Coro is willing to hear us out, maybe we can end this without bloodshed."

Toparic stared at her with his lifeless red eyes, the malice in his Force presence spiking. Raxi held her ground, her purple gaze staring right back unflinchingly. Stiffly, he answered her question, the Force swirling around him like an ill-wind. "Any truce you negotiate will only be temporary. Coro is fervent in his belief that we are evil and will stop at nothing to punish those whose only crime is to stand up for themselves. You will _not_ negotiate with him."

Raxi stiffened as the powerful Force command shook her brain like a battering ram. Breathing heavily, she shook her head to clear it and then stared the prophet down with a tear-filled purple gaze. "Even if it is temporary, would not any break give you and your followers more time to prepare?"

"Stand down," Toparic repeated darkly. "Weak in the Force as you are, you should know to kneel before your betters."

Raxi's knees buckled for a moment before she managed to straighten once more. Snarling at the dark side user, she shook her head. "Any better of mine won't require that, High Prophet. All you've shown me is that you can bully others with your abilities. What I'm going to show you is that I can stop a war with mine."

Toparic's eyes flashed murderously and for a moment, both Raxi and Siare thought that he would lash out. Instead, however, the High Prophet inclined his head in mocking grace. "You are very foolish with your life. If you wish to waste it trying to stop weak-minded fools from killing each other. I will not stop you. Get in my way though and I will cut you down like a scythe through wheat."

"Thank you for your permission, _High Prophet_ ," Raxi curtsied sarcastically.

The High Prophet glared lasers at her before swirling around and heading back towards the glowing red pyramid in the center of camp.

"Wow," Siare breathed out. "That was…wow."

Raxi blushed and then turned to scowl at Siare. "You've definitely been a bad influence to me, Siare."

"You can't talk to a High Prophet that way," stammered Khola.

"Your kind only respect strength," Raxi said stiffly to Khola. "Judge others by how strong one is, whether they can stand up for themselves. If you three are so happy to bow to a bully in fancy robes, then you might need to rethink the path your life is on."

"Raxi," Soban said carefully. "High Prophet Toparic has killed more people than some plagues. Like Cronal, he has survived since before Palpatine's time. You do not get to be his age and experience by merely being a bully."

"Go apologize for us then," Raxi said, gesturing towards the pyramid. "Siare and I are going to go talk with Prime Minister Coro."

"Very well," Soban sighed. "Brother Vao, Sister Kozdoru, go with them. I'll try to smooth things over with the High Prophet."

As the leader of the dark side trio hurried off after the High Prophet, the remaining two looked to Siare and Rali expectantly. "Okay," Zal Vao said evenly. "Where to next?"

"Away from here first off," Siare answered back. "If this place is about to become ground zero for a planet-wide civil war, we'd be crazy to stick around."

"If Prime Minister Coro is planning an attack soon, he'll be rallying his supporters," Raxi answered, her face scrunched in concentration. "We find a large gathering of people chanting his name, then see if we can talk with the man himself."

"There's no way his supporters would let us get close," Zal protested.

"Probably helps if you guys aren't dressed as juma-juice-drinking-crazies," Siare said with a click of his tongue. "You guys have any _regular_ clothing that doesn't scream 'dark side'?"

"We surrendered all our worldly possessions upon becoming acolytes," Khola answered with a shake of her head. "Spiritual strength and happiness is the only thing we can take with us when we pass on after all."

"Of course," Siare muttered. Even after participating in several of the meditation sessions with the dark side acolytes, developing his sense of Force-sight had been extremely slow going. With the whole war broiling over all around, Siare knew that it was something he definitely didn't have time for. "Raxi, please tell me we're not going shopping for a pair of dark siders."

"Would love to, but no," Raxi shook her head with a grin. She looked to Zal. "When new initiates join, where does their clothing go?"

"Into a general collection bin to be redistributed to those less fortunate," Zal answered.

"Is there one of those bins in this place?"

"I'd have to ask my sister," Zal inclined his head. "But there should be. The Church has a strong presence on this planet."

"Might as well invite her along too," Raxi said. "We need a local guide as well."

"Give me a moment," Zal said, closing his eyes and using the Force to reach out to his sister. After a few seconds, his eyes opened again. "She is on her way."

The group saw a smaller Twi'lek girl bound her way out of the red pyramid. Her own church robes seemed to be overly big on her slight form, the sleeves shrouding her hands completely. But she wore sandals similar to her brother, her skin tone a slightly darker blue.

"Big Z!" Zal's sister exclaimed excitedly. She sprinted towards her brother the rest of the way and nearly knocked him over with the force of her hug despite the fact that he was nearly twice as tall as her.

"Missionary Vao," Zal chuckled teasingly, rubbing her back. "You look almost official in those robes."

"Wow, when you said you were coming, I almost thought you were joking with me," the eager young teen gushed. "I mean, I know you're busy swooping all over the galaxy and spreading the word…not that swooping is bad, but I didn't think you'd have the time to…"

"Sis, on a mission," Zal gently interrupted her, motioning to the others with him.

The younger Twi'lek blinked and looked around, eyes widening as if she was seeing them for the first time. "Oh, sorry about that." She cleared her throat and straightened, trying to look more dignified. "Errr…eh hmm….I am Tabor'cee Vao, not actually a missionary yet, but I _am_ an Initiate of the Church of the Dark Side. How can I help?"

"Don't worry, go hug your brother more" Raxi's eyes glimmered with enjoyment at the younger teen's exuberance. "We shouldn't take time with our family for granted, ever."

Tabor'cee grinned at Raxi and promptly obeyed Raxi's command "I like her already."

"This temple's collection area for new converts, do you think you can take us there?" Zal asked his sister, trying to pry her off and rolling his eyes as she did.

"Of course," Tabor'cee answered. "Why?"

"We need to go out in public and we'll attract too much attention if your brother and Khola look like…"

"Church mouthpieces, got it!" Tabor'cee chirped. "You're in luck, Zal. We've had an influx of converts since Prime Minister Mind-Your-Own-Business started cracking down on the Church. All those jobless or those without hope of a better future under his government have come to the temple in droves. If he attacks, he's definitely going to be surprised at what we have in store."

"Hopefully we can stop this conflict before that happens," Raxi said calmly. "Let's get you dark siders some clothes that doesn't scream 'anti-social world dominators'."

 **I-III-I-III-I**

"…And it may not look like much, but I'm proud of where we live. A torn-up planet, no GA support for over a decade. Yet life still finds a way to survive," the charismatic figure of Coro Luxe stood on a central stage, his image projected via holo-projector in front of a massive gathering of Lorrdian citizens. Clean-cut dark brown hair, with the airs of a military man, the Prime Minister's brown eyes shown with determination as he paced back and forth on the stage. Throughout his speech, his entire body moved as if he was dancing a subtle dance at the same time.

"That's Lorrdian Kinetic communication," Church of the Dark Side initiate, Tabor'cee whispered to those with her. "Each hand gesture conveys a different meaning depending on how he shifts his body. See that open-handed tilt with that small step to the left, the move he keeps doing? That means 'all' or 'family'."

"Great, I find a communication method that depends solely on watching someone move. What's he saying?" Siare grumbled.

"Praising the people of Lorrd mostly," Tabor'cee answered, her lekku twitching as she read the non-verbal speech of the Lorrdian leader. "He's using more complex moves than I'm used to. Zal and I were raised in the slums so we didn't exactly have a school to teach us. Coro was probably raised on Kinetics, so I might be missing more than a few signs."

Fortunately for the group, Coro continued his speech in Basic. "But the One Sith seek to take away everything we have built up. They have their supporters from our own population, yes. But those who follow them have forgotten what the Argazdans did to our ancestors during the Kanz Disorders!"

"That was practically four thousand years ago, of course people would forget," Tabor'cee muttered mutinously.

"Kingships, tyrants, regents on a gold throne, we don't care! Their mere mention dirties the air. They want us to submit to them and I say in response, we'll never be ruled by a royal! You hear me? We'll never be ruled by who?"

The crowd roared in reply. "Royals!"

Coro nodded. "Their kind has spilled enough of our blood! My brother and I may share a last name, but he is not the type of Luxe this planet needs. Now, more than ever, we need to stick with the GA, with the Jedi Order. So I ask you once more, let me be your ruler. Let me put an end to my brother's greed. Follow me, and I'll end their delusional fantasy!"

The crowd cheered loudly, fists pumping in the air.

"Sounds like it might already be too late to stop the war," Zal Vao murmured.

"We're never too late," Raxi said. "He's a lot younger than I thought a leader of this planet would be."

"Average life expectancy with the meager resources we have is seventy years. Most of the older ones were killed off in the Yuuzhan Vong War," Tabor'cee spoke. The group steadily began to push their way through the crowd towards the center stage. "It's why the Church is trying to get the planet to join the One Sith. As part of the One Sith, the people here will be given access to health-care, food-goods, and other supplies that the GA has denied them for nearly two decades."

"Lay off the politics," Siare chided the young teen. "We're surrounded by a blood-thirsty crowd that believes the exact opposite. I don't think getting them to kill us will make a good impression on either side."

"Who's that with him on the stage?" Raxi ignored the two and continued to focus on the speaker.

"The military guys?" Tabor'cee asked.

"No the ones in civilian clothes, wearing the hooded robes."

"Oh, those are members of the Lorrd University," Tabor'cee answered.

"We can kill two birds with one stone," the Church of Dark Side Acolyte Khola Kozdoru murmured. "Ask them if they can give us the data we need to deal with the plague on Denon, as well as talk with the Prime Minister about this needless violence."

As the group grew closer to the platform, they felt a tremor in the Force and saw several others similarly creeping forwards. These several others, however, didn't have the same intentions.

"For Cronal!" One yelled out, firing a blaster into the air and scattering those immediately in his path. The security forces promptly gunned the man down, but in doing so missed the other three that had rushed the stage from the opposite side.

"Cronal is God!" Screamed one of the trio. He was tackled by two security guards but detonated a suicide belt and left a small crater in the side of the stage. A second of the trio was similarly gunned down, stopped just before he too could activate his belt.

The third attacker, however, breached the security line and lunged at Coro, too late to be stopped by anyone.

Anyone other than a Jedi that is.

Raxi, Siare, Khola, Zal, and Tabor'cee could only gape in shock as the attacker was held in mid-air, his entire body locked in place. One of the Lorrd University faculty members had her arm outstretched, the Force very strong with her.

"That's…that's impossible," Raxi paled, feeling something very familiar with the Force presence now dominating the stage.

Coro's security guards quickly rushed the suspended assailant, dismantling his suicide belt and clapping his hands in stun-cuffs. One of them even hit the assailant with a stun bolt, knocking the man unconscious. In the meantime, Coro shrugged off his protective detail's attempts to get him to retreat.

"I'm not going to back down from cowards. Besides, my wife won't let anything happen to me," Coro smiled at the Force-using academic, his words still amplified for the crowd. "That's three I owe you, my love."

The academic stepped forwards, her hood falling back as she tilted her head back to kiss her husband. "Whose keeping count?"

Siare, who had chosen that moment to click his tongue to see the full picture, felt his jaw drop. As weak in the Force as he was, he could even feel Raxi's complete bewilderment. "Raxi, tell me I'm not seeing things."

"If you are, I am too," Raxi managed, purple eyes wide.

Coro turned back to the holo-cams and smiled broadly, holding one of his wife's hands. "I won't back down in the face of terror!"

"And neither will I!" The familiar face of one Nelani Dinn called out in turn. "And together, we will show the One Sith that this planet is not theirs to take. Are you with us!?"

The crowd roar in approval.

Coro and Nelani stood on the stage and soaked up the response.

Siare groaned. "Why in the Emperor's Black Bones did this mission have to get even more complicated?"

 **LotJB[V]LotJB**

Ships rarely landed on Concordia since the Yuuzhan Vong had decimated its surface during the Yuuzhan Vong War. When a ship did, it was most likely a _Kyr'tsad_ -allied vessel returning from patrol or combat mission. So Janek was more than a little surprised to see a definitely-not-Mandalorian ship breeze through the fog layer during his morning run.

"Hey, Cat. What do you make of that?" Janek asked his work-out partner as they both skidded to a halt. Steam rose from his body as the cool morning mist chilled his lanky figure, his once curly red hair now buzzed military style.

Catra Skirata followed the flight path of the vessel. "It's heading towards the main base."

"Think it's One Sith?"

"No idea," the thirteen year old teen replied. She checked the charge on a snub-nosed blaster she wore in a holster at her side. "But they're either welcome here or the one driving that is short on brain cells."

"Last one back gives the other a full-body massage," Janek said with a cocky smirk.

A competitive gleamed in Catra's eyes. "You're on."

"I will be shortly," Janek retorted, going all out in a full sprint back across their well-worn trail.

Catra, despite being a half-meter shorter, leapt out after him. Janek slowed, deliberately allowing her to catch up, and exchanged a cocky grin at her before taking a several-stride lead. Catra returned the smile sarcastically. She then loosened the tie she had around her pony-tail and pressed a button on the two round weights attached to it. The hidden gravity-enhancing devices promptly caused the hair-tie to become even denser than before, the weight increasing exponentially. Whirling her weighted hair-tie over her head as she sprinted, she then hurled the bola through the air.

Janek promptly leaped over the spinning weapon, where it wrapped around a small tree ahead of him. Despite the miss, he was forced to concede ground to the Mandalorian girl. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Catra smirking at him despite the beads of sweat pouring down her face as she kept up. He matched her grin. "Should have expected the daughter of Jintar and Dinua Skirata to have a trick like that."

"That's not the only trick I have," Catra retorted, nearing Janek.

"It's very obvious you're not hiding anything else," Janek commented. Catra was wearing a sports bra, form-fitting athletic shorts, and some sort of malleable metal boots, making hiding any more tricks highly improbable.

Catra replied by whistling a short burst of sound. Janek was so focused on her that he didn't see the string on her bola-hair-tie-in-disguise crackle with plasma energy and shear through the tree it was wrapped around. He heard the cracking of wood and threw himself to the side just as the tree came crashing down. Prepared for the fall, Catra hurdled over the falling tree and took the lead.

Janek got up, brushing himself off with a rueful grin and took off after her. He heard Catra's victory cry as they neared the _Kyr'tsad_ base and put on an extra burst of speed. "It's not over yet!"

"I think it is," Catra called back between breaths.

Janek put on one last burst of speed and for a moment it looked like he would actually win. Then, he had an even better idea.

As they neared the outer boundary of the base's exterior landing pads, their legs _somehow_ got tangled up and Catra let out a surprised cry. They both tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs and bodies, rolling to a stop and laughing as they did.

"Looks like you're on after all," Catra breathed up at him, panting heavily, eyes hooded.

"Need to wake up earlier if you want to top a Jedi," Janek retorted, arms bracketing the younger teen beneath him. Then he heard someone clear their throat and looked up. "Oh…hi."

"Oh!" Catra's olive complexion darkened considerably as an adorable blush suffused her cheeks. "Hi mom…dad…little brothers and sisters...everyone…Wow…"

"Full body massage later?" Janek said daringly, not even bothering to whisper. Despite Catra's mortification, she nodded once and then quickly scrambled to her feet.

"I like this one already," laughed a man Janek had never seen before. The man was standing in front of the ship that had just arrived, dressed in a standard spacer's garb. He appeared to have some clone-lineage if his skin-color was anything to go by, and his holovid-star quality face seemed at ease with the situation.

"You would, Nate," Dinua deadpanned. She turned a paint-vaporizing gaze on Janek.

Janek popped up to his feet and grinned broadly, as if he hadn't just been caught in a compromising position with a daughter of a Mandalorian family. He almost ran a hand through his hair before forgetting he had shaved it off. Instead, he held out a hand to the newcomer, mostly to be polite. Partly to avoid the 'I will kill you' glares he was receiving from several people in the crowd. "Hi Nate, Janek Skywalkyer."

"Skywalker?" Nate laughed, shaking his head. "You definitely have the guts. Though if you're with either of those two Jedi girls there, you should probably make some plans to reassure them that they're your one and only pretty quickly."

"Already have it scheduled. Meeting one after lunch, the other after dinner," Janek said casually, causing Nate to chuckle even more.

"No, Ryza, you can't blast him," Jesmin Sarkin-Tainer's voice sounded from behind Janek. "I'm meeting him for lunch so I got first dibs. I vote castration."

"Castration with a blaster, that way we both get what we want," Ryza bargained.

"Deal."

Nate sympathetically patted Janek on the shoulder. "I hope your skills in the bedroom are greater or equal to your ability to avoid insanely jealous girls."

"We're _not_ jealous," Jesmin and Ryza hissed in unison, before looking at each other in surprise.

"Not that it isn't a pleasure to see you again," Dinua cut in. "But what are you doing here, Nate? This system is probably the last place you want to be. Especially since the Altisians turned down the One Sith."

"I know. Why do you think I'm the only one on the ship?" Nate said soberly. "But we have a big problem. Major in fact. The Hutts are revolting."

Silence greeted Nate's dire warning.

"Nate…I don't think any beauty salon in the world is going to fix that," Tracyn piped up, emerging from the bunker exit with a full retinue of bodyguards.

Nate blinked, clearly recalling his own words. Then he chuckled and flashed a winning grin at Tracyn and Dinua. "That's probably true. But I meant that they're going rogue. I think."

"You think?" Jintar took a step closer to his wife.

Nate reached into his flightsuit. When he did, however, every single bodyguard escorting Tracyn raised and charged their blasters. He immediately froze where he was. "Did your followers get even crazier since I last saw you, Tracyn?"

"Stand down," Tracyn directed her protectors.

"Ma'am?"

"Your Empress commands it," Tracyn reinforced.

"Yes, ma'am." The guards snapped to attention.

"'Empress'?" Nate whistled. "I heard the rumors. Nice."

"You were saying?"

Nate finished his motion and pulled out a datapad. "Not sure if you were paying attention to the markets, but Tibanna and Interstellar Gas rates have skyrocketed to several hundred times their cost."

"War often has profiteering," Tracyn frowned.

"That only made things worse," Nate shook his head. "In a span of a year almost seventy percent of the Tibanna gas shipments from Hutt Space have gone missing. Completely missing. No distress calls, no debris, no sign of any of the ships on the convoys. The Hutts are trying to cover it up, but the absence of that much vital gas on the markets can't be hidden for long."

"And you think the Hutts are stockpiling Tibanna gas?" Dinua asked.

"What other explanation is there?" Nate said in turn. "The One Sith already have access to refineries, heck they have Bespin, they don't need to hijack shipments. The Galactic Alliance also has their own stockpile. The fact that shipments from Hutt Space are the _only_ shipments to go missing is too much to be a coincidence. The amount of gas missing is enough to power one massive fleet. And if that fleet is in Hutt control, we're all screwed."

"And you came to us?"

"I know Hutt Space borders Mando space," Nate said. "But I also don't want your current head of state getting any ideas of spreading into the resource-rich planets nominally controlled by the Hutts. A half a dozen powers already say they have claim to those planets, and we all know that if the Mandos go in, they'll back out. I figured a Death Watch spec-ops team can go in, get answers, and get out without too much trouble."

"We can't devote any of our people to actions outside of this system without raising suspicions" Tracyn said with a grimace. "Even if we wanted…"

Janek blinked when he saw Tracyn stare at him, Catra, and the teenage Jedi behind them. "Oh."

"Oh," Tracyn smiled faintly. " _Kyr'tsad_ can't help. But a bunch of Jedi whom _Manda'lor_ knows nothing about can."

"Wait a minute," Ryza said sharply, stepping forwards. "The only reason why we agreed to train and help you off your boss is because you promised we'd be rescuing my brothers and the Jedi on the planet. We did _not_ agree to run errands for you or do your dirty work."

"There's more," Nate cut off the impending argument.

"More?"

"A possible suspect in the disappearance of the convoys. About two months ago, the Hutts released a video to all those in the system." Nate turned the datapad so the small crowd could see the screen. He enlarged the image on it and played the video. It appeared to have been taken from a spaceport somewhere in Hutt Space, but was high-quality enough to make out the details. As the image of a person walking up a flight of stairs played out, the atmosphere of those gathered changed dramatically.

Jesmin, hand clenched over her heart and eyes bulging at the sight, summed up everyone's feelings with a an almost pained gasp. "Doran!"

 **LotJB[Chapter End]LotJB**

 **A\N:** Once again borrowing characters from a fanfilm. This time Ellis, Jordyn, Kira, and Tarmas are from the nicely made fanfilm 'Hearts of Kyber' by Pretty Much Boys over on the YouTubes. Technically, the characters are probably Republic-era since they mention 'Old Republic' traditions, but they're awesome so I made them NJO Jedi and added them anyways =D. Quasi-adoption of another fanfilm idea in the making of the 'Enlightened' Yuuzhan Vong (E'ron) and calling Cassa the 'Chosen of the Gods' (Yuuzhan Vong term will be revealed next chapter-So'ran). Both words are from the Italian fanfilm Dark Resurrection vol.0 (takes place long before canon Star Wars) by Riviera Film, inspired by the organic-looking ship and tech on said ship.

No idea when the next update will be...but all stories are still in progress.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **LotJB[I]LotJB**

"Alright, listen up! New orders from Command have come through"

Listening to the briefing with the gathered pilots of the _Admiral Ackbar_ , Ben Skywalker kept his face the botched capture of Prophet/Lord Dotan, the _Ackbar_ had been involved in one sortie after another, most of it defensive in nature. It was a simple number's game, with the One Sith able to devote more resources to the region than the Galactic Alliance could afford. For every starfighter the GA forces destroyed, whole squadrons were replacing it, churned out by factories like those on Peg Shar One. It was a slugging match. Needless to say, winning a war while on the defensive was damned near impossible.

It was why the Jedi Order was in such sorry shape as it was. From the Yuuzhan Vong War through the present day, all the Jedi had been doing was 'defending'. Ben may have left that part of his life behind him, but he still couldn't help but wonder what the fate of the Jedi Order could have been had they been more like the military. Granted, the Galactic Alliance military had been caught just as off-guard as the Jedi Order, but that was only because decades of conflict and political games had weakened it.

The holo-emitters in the room lit up to give the pilots a view of their Colonies' world target, a heavily forested world with megacities few and far between. The officer in charge of the briefing gestured. "This is Wakeelmui. Formerly an Imp planet, it's a major Sienar Fleet Systems manufactory center. It is also a Red Blade source of ship parts and technological research. Now, we don't have the resources at the moment to take and hold the system. But we've received a request from nearby allies to draw the Red Blades away. Command's approved the request, so what we are going to do is give these fanatics a very bad day. They recently shifted some of their capital ship support to another engagement so we have a limited time offer just for us."

"Sir, are the locals under duress?" Lieutenant Jessika Pava asked.

"Negative on that. The population there is confirmed to be Red Blade wavers. It's one of the reasons why we can't take the system without the massive ground force that we currently don't have. That's why Black Wing and Gold Wing from the _Ackbar_ , and Shadow Wing and Ghost Wing from the _Dodanna_ are going in full throttle and taking this planet's manufacturing capabilities out. The rest of the _Ackbar_ and _Dodanna_ 's strike force will be providing capital ship support. If we can't take the planet we're going to knock it out of the fight for the near future."

The hologram zoomed in to a more detailed reading of the planet. Hovering in high orbit were a series of defensive stations, and planetary turbolaser batteries illuminated in blinking red.

"Due to the importance of this planet, there are significant planetary and orbital defenses. That's where Shadow Wing comes in. Comprising of Barefoot and Shockwave squads, they're made up entirely of the newer Stealth-X fighters. Our approach vector is along this corridor. Shadow Wing goes in and knocks out the orbital platform you see here. Ghost Wing follows through with a bombing run on the surface emplacements. Once the door is busted wide open, Black and Gold Wings will move in and fire on the targets designated by Command."

"Rules of engagement, sir? Many of the targets Command designated are in heavily populated areas," Bastian voiced his concern.

"Unfortunately, we will be unable to completely avoid collateral damage. But if these factories and planet-side shipyards are left operational, the One Sith will be able to continually strike at targets along the Hydian Way. Any more questions?"

There were none.

The wing-commander clapped his hands together. "Okay, get to your fighters and watch each other's backs."

Ben headed towards his Chase-X, giving a two-fingered salute to his astromech as the R9 model droid was loaded up. "Doing okay today, Kani?"

The purple droid whistled an affirmative, followed by several scolding bleeps and blats.

"I don't _intend_ on doing anything to risk our necks," Ben said defensively, climbing the ladder to his fighter. "It just happens sometimes."

More bleeping followed.

"It does _not_ happen to me more times than others," Ben protested. "That last mission I had to choose between letting that missile hit us or flying into a turbolaser barrage. We survived."

Kani's response flitted across the read-out screen on his fighter. _Barely! The shrapnel from the missile tore a hole in my chassis and nearly destroyed my CPU!_

"I said I was sorry," Ben said in exasperation. "Geez, why did they have to program a military droid with such strong self-preservation routines?"

 _Because my pilot doesn't have any so I need enough for the both of us_ , Kani bleeped back.

" _All fighters, deploy when ready. Remember, the mission is time-sensitive. We get there too late or take too long destroying our targets and the One Sith will be able to bring in a bunch of reinforcements to ruin our day_ ," Black Wing leader reminded. " _Once clear of the Ackbar, squawk to indicate readiness. We'll jump on my signal._ "

"Kani, you have the target coordinates loaded in?" Ben steered his fighter out of the hangar.

 _Affirmative,_ the astromech replied.

"Right then, here we go again."

The Galactic Alliance starfighter force poured out of their motherships. Familiar cross-shaped profiles of the Chase-X mingled with the flat, dart-like Eta-Five and the cross-like Stealth-Bs. Out of the _Dodanna_ , black-painted Stealth-Xs were nearly invisible against the backdrop of the stars. Following them were equally covert, upgraded Y-Wings, officially called Stealth-Ys and unofficially nicknamed Stealthees.

When all the fighters reported in, the signal was given and the attack-force made the short jump through hyperspace towards their target.

They arrived en masse, over a hundred starfighters reverting just inside Wakeelmui's gravity shadow. The orbital defense station that was in their path was immediately opened fire in a dazzling display of green turbolaser fire. The counter-attack lasted all of a few seconds, the time that was needed for the ordnance loaded into the Stealth-Xs of Shadow Wing to reach its target.

Adapted from the idea of the shadow bombs used by the Jedi Order, the torpedoes carried by the members of Shadow Wing were heavily modified. Lacking any ion trail, engines, or even a noticeable profile, the heavy explosives were made of the same stealth material as the fighters. Launched out of the fighters with a giant pressurized burst of air, the lack of resistance in space meant that the projectile hurtled near invisibly towards their target at super-sonic speeds. Though very limited in range, they were perfect for stationary or very big targets.

One moment the station was pumping out turbolaser and regular laser battery fire at the incoming fighters. The next, it erupted like an overripe melon as two dozen explosions ripped it to pieces. The Stealth-Xs jetted right through the station's rapidly expanding corpse, howling down towards the planet to draw fire and reveal any planetary defense batteries.

The Stealth-Ys were not far behind. As turbolaser and missile emplacements opened fire on the Stealth-Xs, the Stealth-Ys tracked each and every battery and introduced the shielded emplacements to plasma rockets and proton bombs.

Thick columns of smoke rose up all across the capital city of Wakeelmui, whirring alarms and sirens sounding from all corners. The shrieking of turbolaser batteries, the rumbling explosion of the batteries being decimated by the stealth fighters, boomed loudly to a city that was only just beginning to see the first rays of daylight. Fireballs roared into the air, flames flickering in the shadows and running rampant through the densely packed urban areas. For several very long minutes, the citizens of the city were gripped in abject terror as forty-eight starfighters and bombers blew apart anything that even remotely resembled a threat.

Above, the capital ship support dueled with the frigates and light cruisers that the One Sith had left to defend Wakeelmui. It was a very one-sided duel, and soon One Sith ships were doing their best meteor impression into the skies of Wakeelmui.

" _Shadow Wing Lead, ordnance expended, returning to mothership. Lost Shockwave Five, Barefoot Seven, Barefoot Twelve._ "

" _Ghost Wing Lead, ordnance expended, returning to mothership. Zero casualties. Shadow Wing, drinks are on us._ "

" _Copy, Black Wing, Gold Wing, happy hunting._ "

" _This is Black Wing Lead to Red and Blue squadrons. Planetary garrison is incoming. Stay on target and unleash your payloads. You can dance better when you're not loaded with good amount of high-explosives._ "

" _Gold Lead here, Stiletto and Coalstreak squadrons will cover you the best we can._ "

Ben swallowed heavily as he double-checked his sensor board. It was one thing to know that an entire planet wanted you dead. It was another thing entirely to see an entire planet's worth of fighters stream your way. Being a Sienar Fleet Systems core world, a good portion of those fighters were top-of-the-line TIE Starhunters and newer TIE models.

"Kani, lock us on to the nearest target," Ben ordered.

 _Affirmative_.

Ben saw the HUD flash a directional arrow and he veered along with his shield-trio towards a heavily industrialized area of the city. Then, his computer began to screech out a warning, someone had acquired a target lock on him.

"This is R-Five, I've been painted!"

" _R-Six here, me too! I thought all the emplacements were taken care of!_ "

" _Break, break, break!_ "

The three Chase-Xs veered in different directions as mobile-missile platforms fired off a cluster of missiles. Ben pulled hard on his steering column in a sharp climb, then abruptly cut power to his engines and let his fighter drop in a free-fall. The missiles arced wide as they struggled to keep up with his sudden change in direction. As his fighter dropped, Ben could see the culprits behind his aborted attack run. Evidently Sienar Fleet Systems were _really_ protective of their factories. A whole host of Century Tanks—TIE Crawlers—ringed the target with missile tubes on their backs. The first line of tanks was already retreating to rearm as a second line rolled forward.

"Kani, power to the engines again," Ben ordered.

 _Missiles still tracking us. Estimated time to impact, seven point three…_

"I don't need a running count on how close to death we are!" Ben vented his frustration by lighting up the row of tanks with volley after volley of quad-lasers. The tanks were tossed about like children's toys as the lasers annihilated them with impunity. Wondering if he had imagined it, he thought he had even seen the crews of some of the tanks hastily bail just before his laser set off the power cores. "Deploy chaff and flares."

Ben felt the shockwave ripple through his fighter as the missiles ran into his countermeasures and unleashed a bloom of light and heat. Kani emitted an annoyed bleep as shrapnel pinged off his fighter. "Sorry! Sorry!"

Ben looped back around to see a neat row of craters and charred vehicles were the tanks had been. Behind it were the towering buildings that sheltered a Sienar Fleet Systems' assembly line. "R-Five engaging Target Aurek One-Five."

" _Copy R-Five. Lead, this is R-Four, engaging target Aurek One-Four._ "

His lasers blew apart the wall of the nearest building and then chewed up whatever was inside, causing secondary and tertiary explosions. Before he pulled up, he fired off one of his warheads, a heavy rocket, into the burning building. Climbing, he heard the satisfying 'whomph' as the building was atomized in a giant fireball.

Nearby, Bastian's fighter rained down a similar storm of destruction, sending a power-facility into an explosive overload. R-Six likewise homed in on his own target; two heavy rockets leveled another Sienar Fleet facility and left a molten crater where a factory had once been. The deafening explosions and shockwaves reminded Ben of just how different things were when blowing things up in an atmosphere.

"Kani set us up for the next target."

The HUD switched views to an ore-processing facility in a nearby district. Ben angled his fighter up out of the buildings and was rejoined by the other members of his shield-trio.

" _Left a pretty sight back there, R-Five_ ," Bastian chuckled.

"Yeah, we left a mess didn't we?" Ben grinned as they swooped towards their second targets. All he had to do was remind himself that these Red Blade supporters and his grin became even bigger.

" _Command, this is Red Second Flight, en route to Aurek Two targets now_ ," Bastian reported with levity in his voice.

The report from command, however, wiped away any good feelings. " _Black Wing, be advised, planetary fighters have broken off from Gold Wing and are inbound._ "

"They had one job to do," Ben grumbled under his breath. Still laden with warheads, his fighter was in no shape to go up against the faster and more agile Starhunters now bearing down on them. "Command, this is R-Five, permission to dump payloads. These heavy rockets are _heavy_."

" _Permission to dump payloads only granted if above non-residential areas._ "

"Copy that." Ben checked his scopes and saw that the only non-residential place between the approaching TIEs and himself was the downtown district of the capital city. He grimaced. "Command, won't be able to avoid collateral damage. Please advise."

" _Permission to release payloads is denied then. Command doesn't want any excessive civilian casualties. Stay on target._ "

"That doesn't help," Ben groaned to himself.

 _Enemy fighters in missile-range in ten seconds_ , Kani added unhelpfully.

"R-Four, please tell me you have a plan?"

" _We can't outrun Starhunters,"_ Bastian sounded as tense as Ben felt. " _Drop down low. With all the civilian traffic, it should make it harder for them to lock onto us._ "

"Copy. You do realize they're Red Blades and will probably fire anyways."

" _They're garrisoned here. Probably have family in the city._ "

Kani screeched out a warning, and Ben pushed his fighter even lower. "Four, I've got inbound missiles. Taking evasive action!"

" _Second Flight, break and evade! See you at the target, Skywalker!_ "

Ben urged his fighter forwards, the sonic-booms coursing off his Chase-X shattered windows and blew speeders out of their lanes. The missiles streaking for him blew up everything else around him. Shortly after, a screeching barrage of starfighter laser cannons, made audible by the atmosphere of the planet, joined in the din. A storm of green light flashed all around Ben's Chase-X, adding to the destructive inferno the exploding munitions had created. Ben didn't realize he was holding his breath until his fighter burst out of the firestorm in one piece. His fighter rocketed upwards and then flipped back around.

"Kani, shields, double-front! Shunt power from engines to weapons!"

The trio of enemy Starhunters that had been tracking him were startled by his survival. And by the fact that he was now charging straight at them. Ben's quad-laser cannons cycled in lethal bursts. The lead fighter was ripped apart by the unexpected head-on barrage, pieces of the fighter flying out into the downtown buildings. The other two Starhunters quickly began firing, not deviating from their collision course. The distance between the three fighters shrunk at frightening speeds, Ben's red lasers flying in one direction while the Starhunters' green flew in his. A second Starhunter, its shields giving out by the concentrated barrage, disintegrated into a flaming wreck as Ben's lasers blew apart the cockpit.

At the same time, Kani gave a warbling squawk to indicate the failure of their deflectors. The lasers from the last Starhunter stitched the front armor plating of Ben's fighter before blowing off an S-foil. Ben continued to squeeze the trigger, finding himself yelling, willing the lasers to do their job, as he did. Another smaller explosion on his fighter caused his astromech to spell out several definitions of 'reckless' on his monitor. And then the final Starhunter's shields flickered and a single laser punched through its engine housing. Without power, the doomed fighter pitched forward and crashed impressively into the vacant shopping district.

Ben crowed out in laughter. "Alright! Kani, give me the next target. Let's give these Red-Blade-lovers some love of our own."

 _If you are suggesting copulating with a dark Jedi or dark Jedi supporter, then I would advise you that the likelihood of you surviving such an encounter is…_

"Kani, just give me the next target," Ben muttered, shaking his head.

 _Next target on your scopes now. Intel says it's a chemical-munitions plant._

"Got it," Ben thumbed his comm. "This R-Five, en route to target Aurek Two-Five now. Try to keep the planetary cropdusters off us this time."

The rest of the mission went as planned, with Ben unloading gleefully unloading the last of his warheads into the remaining targets intel had scoped out for him. As the Galactic Alliance fighters began to veer away from the world, Ben checked his rear scopes and saw blazes of fire flaring out from hundreds of locations across the planet courtesy of Red Squadron. Blue Squadron had been equipped with incendiary warheads and had set massive bonfires in the forested regions of the planet as well. The bright orange-red glow was still going strong even as his fighter left low orbit. A smiled flitted across his face and he shook his head as he turned off the monitor.

 _You support the dark Jedi, what'd you expect would happen?_

" _Gold Wing, Black Wing, job well done. That's one Red-Blade world knocked out of commission for the near future. Come on back and let's keep up the good work._ "

 **LotJB[II]LotJB**

Janek Skywalker reeled back in pain, unsure if the blow had fractured his jaw or not. Love definitely hurts. But at least it wasn't fatal. He'd rather be punched in the face than have a lightsaber or blasterbolt blow through it. Even if what he had just said had definitely damaged a friendship, at least they were both still alive. He only had to think about Ben, imagine the type of pain his brother had felt when Kani and the others had died, to know that this was no time for heroics.

"Damn it, Skywalker!"

"Ryza listen…"

"No, _you_ listen! My brothers are just several thousand kilometers away on a planet that I can see every single day and night. I've been saying that we rescue Maia and Zeth for several weeks now, and all you do is say 'wait, we need to train more'. Then all the sudden we get news about Ms. Commando's brother and you're up in arms about going to help her get _her_ brother back? You frackin' promised!"

" _Your_ brothers are being guarded by guys who are soldiers for a living backed by dark Jedi with twice as much life experience as us." Janek tried to hide his frustration. How could he get her to see that going to get her brothers now was more suicide mission than rescue? "We try to save them as we are now and we're more than likely to get both us and them killed. The Hutts are not known for their armies of crack soldiers. They're a softer target, one where the odds of us living are much better."

"My mom is Corellian, never tell me the odds," Ryza snarled back, standing toe-to-toe with the taller teen.

"We're six Jedi who aren't even Knights yet." Janek gestured wildly in aggravation. In every possible future he could imagine, they'd end up dead. And dying was something he was deathly allergic to. He preferred to stay alive for as long as he could. Away from things that actively wanted to kill he and his friends. "Jesmin's brother is a Jedi _Master_. Tell me, how long do you think we'd last going up against the dark Jedi running around Mandalore, especially when we have Belok's people shooting at us? I'm still keeping my promise, Ryza. I'm just making sure we survive when I do."

Ryza glowered at Janek with a molten gaze, her emotions blaring through the Force like a speeding freight-loader. Despite her feelings, though, she knew that Janek was right. Not that she was going to say it aloud. Knowing he had a point only made her angrier. She snarled at where Jesmin was leaning against the wall near the door, then stormed out of the room.

The door slid shut behind her and Janek glanced sheepishly at the audience that had watched the fight. He had actually forgotten they had been present and tried to shore up his emotional barriers as subtly as possible. It was hard to stay calm when they had seen him with his emotional pants down. Harder still not to try and peek and see what they made of the emotions he had tried so hard to keep bottled up.

"For what it's worth, Janek, I agree with you," the oldest of the Ossus escapees, Vekki, spoke up. "We're not soldiers. I never wanted to be. If I had a choice, I'd stay here and open up a droid-repair business and never pick up a lightsaber or blaster again. But since we have to go face the bad guys, I'd rather it be bad guys not so skilled in killing people."

The two youngest escapees, Naeli Nayami and San're, bobbed their heads in agreement. "We'd rather go up against bad guys that can't kill us with their minds."

"There could still be dark Jedi in Hutt Space," Janek said with a helpless shrug.

"Less than on Mandalore," Vekki said, knowingly echoing his logic. She then smiled faintly. "And less guys who can shoot things from a klick away. Klick…look at me using military slang."

Her attempt at lightening the situation caused Janek's eyes to sparkle, but only just. He then bowed his head and looked away from them. "I just…I'm no leader guys. Like Vekki said, I'm not a soldier either. Or any other thing special just because my name is 'Skywalker'. All I want to do is survive this war. I figure we'd be safer away from where the bulk of the fighting is happening. If this hunt for Tabana gas turns out to be a wild Bantha chase, then all the better for us, right? If we could just ride out the war on this moon, I would."

"We're scared too, Janek," Jesmin breathed out, letting him feel a fraction of her feelings through their bond.

"I'm a Skywalker, I'm not allowed to be scared," Janek turned back to them with a weak smile.

"I thought you weren't anything special," Vekki reminded.

"Okay, fine. I'm a guy, I'm not allowed to get scared," Janek tried.

San're shook his head. "My tribe had a saying. 'Fear is a weapon. Use it or it will use you.' We can fear, just turn that fear into a weapon to slay your enemies."

"Which is proof that your tribe is descended from a fallen Jedi," the other thirteen year old said sarcastically. The Nautolan tilted her head towards Janek. "I think Master Skywalker, you mom that is, would say something like it was okay to be afraid. But when you let that fear keep you from doing what has to be done, then you've let it win."

"Same thing I said, prettier words," San're grumped.

Janek chuckled softly, but avoided their gazes. "You guys are loads braver than I am then. S-T, it's not that I want to save your brother more than Ryza's…but anything that takes us further from a planet ruled by very efficient dark Jedi and killers is in the right direction for me."

He jerked in surprise when he felt Jesmin's hand on his shoulder. "Skywalker."

"S-T," Janek swallowed, looking up and seeing her eyes bore into his. Unlike the more petite Ryza, Jesmin had inherited both her parents' taller than average height and matched him centimeter for centimeter.

"We're _all_ afraid," Jesmin swallowed. "We'd have to be insane not to be. Dad may have trained me for covert missions and blowing up things, but it was never _real_ for me. Until now…And my big brother is out there, somewhere. If the One Sith have him prisoner, if they've been hurting him these past few years while I've been blissfully unaware…I'm not going to let my fear of what _might_ be stop me from doing what _should_ be done. And Ryza, she's just as afraid for her own brothers. With her mom a fleet commander and her dad being the high and mighty Kyp Durron, she's practically raised them at Ossus single-handedly. She _knows_ that going to Mandalore right now is probably suicide, but she doesn't care. She promised their parents that she'd look out for Maia and Zeth, and not being able to do that is eating away at her."

"I just…"

"And I _know_ you're worried about your brother. Scared he might do something befitting of your family name," Jesmin gently interrupted. "And that he's cut himself off from the Force so you don't even know how he's doing only adds to that fear. I get it. We're your friends, Janek. You don't have to be Mister Marvelous or Jedi Extraordinaire with us."

Janek felt a small knot at the base of his throat and was forced to look away lest they see the tears that threatened to leave his suddenly watery eyes. Had the room gotten dusty in the last few seconds? "I don't want to agree to anything that will get any of you killed. Will get _me_ killed. I'm not Ben. I can't happily go off on missions and risk my neck for people I've never known and will never meet. I can't…He's always been the one brave enough to do that. To actually try and make a difference…"

"You're not agreeing to anything for us, Janek." Jesmin moved to his front and gently gripped one of his hands. She stared up at him determinedly, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Naeli, San're, Vekki, they all have a say too, right?"

"And we vote to take the mission that has the smallest chance of getting us killed," Vekki spoke up with supporting nods from the younger Jedi.

"And you know that I'm voting to save my brother," Jesmin repeated.

"And Ryza?" Janek breathed out, finding a patch of wall safer for him to look at. "She's probably going to take a shuttle and try to get her brothers back single-handedly. She's a Durron, and she's seen Anakin's holocron about how he rescued Tahiri from the Yuuzhan Vong back when the Yavin Praxeum was overrun."

"Durron is not that stupid," Jesmin retorted immediately. "She knows that you'll keep your word to her. You may be a playboy with a different girl every week, but you've never broken your word to any of us when it really mattered."

"Like Jesmin said on Ossus when the shooting first broke out," Vekki voiced. "We stick together, we'll be okay. And if the worst happens, at least we'll go out in good company."

Janek smiled weakly. "Right."

The door to the room hissed back open, but rather than Ryza returning, this time it was the new arrival who entered. Nate Jango'ad's face was tightened with forced levity. "Hey. I really don't mean to rush you guys, but we have to make a decision fast. Mandalore is sure to have picked up my approach to Concordia and I don't want to be here when they start asking questions."

"We're going," Jesmin spoke up for the group.

"All of you?" Nate looked to the rest.

"Yes, why?" Janek said almost fearing the answer.

"The brunette Jedi is currently in the hangar hot-wiring one of Tracyn's ships," Nate answered back.

"Okay maybe she _is_ that stupid," Jesmin cursed.

Janek likewise groaned and looked to Jesmin and gestured to Nate. "Go with this guy. I'll hitch a ride with Ryza and hopefully convince her not to land us on a planet full of bad guys."

Before Jesmin could say anything else, Janek took off through the hallways. His heart thudded as he silently begged the Force to get him to the hangar in time. He rushed through bemused Mandalorians in the hallway, hurdled over a cleaning droid, and belatedly apologized as he waded through a more crowded passage. His every footstep registered in the back of his mind as he got closer and closer to the hangar.

He saw the door and heard the sound of a ship's engine whirring to life. With a panicked huff, he used the Force to literally slam the door open, and then he sped into the hangar. One of Tracyn's shuttles was in the process of rising off the ground, its landing gear retracting into the belly of the vessel.

Janek held out both hands and closed his eyes. The Force roared forth and gripped the ship in its invisible hold. "Come on, Ryza." He murmured, half through the bond he had with his friend. He was breathing heavily as he strained to keep the ship from jetting out of the hangar. "Come on, shut it down."

Ryza's annoyance, anger, and a whole host of emotions flashed back through their bond.

"Not going to let you kill yourself." Janek's lips barely moved, sweat beaded down his face.

The engine stopped flaring, the landing gear re-emerged, and Ryza brought the ship back down. A second later, the ramp in the back opened and the svelte Durron stormed out.

"Blast it, Skywalker!" Stormy eyes matched the emotions now roiling off of her.

"Thanks for landing," Janek remarked back, taking in a deep, restoring breath as his legs threatened to give out.

"What do you want now?"

"Same thing as earlier. Come with me and help the rest of us get Doran out of Sithy hands. He'll then help us get _your_ brothers out of Sithy hands."

"I'm done talking about…." Ryza's eyes grew round as she was suddenly lifted into the air and pinned against the shuttle.

"I am _not_ going to let you go off and die!" Janek finally yelled, his face twisting in anguish. "Not you, not Jesmin, not any of the others! You might want your brothers back, but you're going to kill yourself trying to do that, and then what use will you be to Maia and Zeth? I _know_ reckless missions are kind of a Jedi thing. But I also know loads of Jedi who've lost people because of those missions. You might have heard of one of my cousins, Anakin Solo. He went off to rescue Tahiri single-handedly and got a Jedi Master, a whole squad of Yuuzhan Vong who were allied to him, and a few rescue pilots killed. Myrkr ring any bells? He returned with less than half the team he left with. All my family has lost friends, and those losses have left wounds that I can still sense even after all this time has passed. You think I _want_ to go to war, want my friends to go to war with me? I know why Ben cut himself off from the Force when he was younger, why he's doing it again now! All the death we feel as Jedi…multiply that thousands of times over if I lose you, or Jesmin, or any of our other friends! Millions of times over if I lose mom, dad, or Ben. If I ever meant anything to you, Ryza, please, I'm begging you, don't do this."

Janek could feel the hot tears run down his cheeks, but he was too caught up to care. He _had_ to make Ryza see that she just couldn't throw her life away. Not even for her brothers. The Force continued to whip around him in a mini whirlwind as he huffed and puffed, blue eyes pleading. He continued sending every single emotion he was feeling through their bond.

"Okay," Ryza exhaled in a breathless whisper. She closed her eyes, tears of her own trailing down her cheeks. "Okay. Damn you, Skywalker…"

"Curse me as much as you want. At least you're alive to do that," Janek said with a hoarse, choked sound that was half way between a laugh and sob. He lowered his hands and Ryza landed on the ground. "Sorry…"

"Don't apologize." Ryza cut him off. "You're right."

"I still shouldn't have…"

"Remember, you're speaking to a Durron. Sometimes we need a good pasting for the point to sink in." Ryza took a step towards him and started to reach a hand towards his tear-stained face. Her eyes flicked over his shoulder and her hand quickly dropped down to her side. "Sorry about that, S-T. Let's go get your brother."

Janek whirled around to see the other Jedi survivors standing just outside the hangar, staring through the ruined remains of the hangar door. Barring their way was a casual Nate, leaning with his muscular arms folded in front of him. A sound and motion from the opposite side of the hangar revealed Tracyn Gedyc, who was completely unruffled by what she had witnessed.

Tracyn jerked her hand to the door behind her. "Get moving guys. _Mand'alor_ is sending contingent to the moon in hopes of finding the mysterious ship. You Altisians really need to work on that stealth tech."

"Atmospheric friction is too much for it," Nate shrugged, disengaging himself from the door jam. "Come on, kids. Space opera drama later. Now's the time to burn jets until we see lines."

The young Jedi hurried after Nate.

"N-Eight!" Tracyn called out as they rushed past. "Get the kids back here safely. I need them to take over the world."

"I have six Jedi with me," Nate said with a winning wink. "Chances are that if we meet a problem we can't overcome, the whole galaxy will go to Kessel in a hand-basket."

"That's exactly the type of problem you're looking for," Tracyn reminded.

"Good point. Wish us luck then."

"Good luck," Tracyn gave him a brief salute.

"Thanks." Nate glanced to the emotionally charged teens now piling into his ship—taking in Janek's tear-reddened watery eyes, Ryza's purposeful stride hiding her fears, the anxiety radiating from San're and Naeli, the silent dread reflected in the way Vekki wrung her hands, and the pained look stretching across Jesmin's face—and grimaced. He tilted his head towards Tracyn and returned the lazily salute. "We're going to need it."

 **LotJB[III]LotJB**

Raxi had dozens of emotions and thousands of thoughts whirling through her as she sat down in a plasteel chair in a sterile white room. On the opposite side of the plain plasteel table in front of her was someone she had thought dead, someone she never expected to see again. Yet, somehow, Nelani Dinn—now Nelani Luxe—was alive and well, and more than a little confused. She also wasn't exactly the Nelani that Raxi remembered.

"You're…telling the truth," Nelani whispered hoarsely, her brown eyes crinkled in shock. "You…you really knew me before…who I was before I woke up in that hospital."

"You were Seha's closest friend, always stopped by to make sure that she and the rest of us were doing okay. Even passed along a few lessons Jedi Master Solo taught you," Raxi breathed out, nodding. "Given how the rest of us had absolutely little chance making it as anything higher than a Jedi Apprentice because of our weak Force abilities, you were like our big sister and mentor rolled into one."

Nelani stared at Raxi, her breathing ragged. "I can't….I can't remember any of that. But…for some reason, it feels like I should."

"Please trust us," Raxi pleaded. "If we don't do something soon this planet will be engulfed in a civil war. On top of that, the hundreds of other planets in the galaxy that were seeded with the Sith virus are going to collapse completely."

Nelani cursed under her breath, one hand going up to grip her head as she glared up at the ceiling. "Force, you really have to screw up my life like this! I had accepted never knowing what had happened and you send them my way!? I was happy! I have a family now! You can't just do this to me!"

Raxi looked at her old friend in anguish, sensitive in the Force enough to feel Nelani's own maelstrom of emotions. The 'interrogation' as it were had lasted for several hours. At first Coro Luxe, leader of the free peoples of Lorrd, had been worried that the meeting would be some sort of trap. After all, the Church of the Dark Side had dozens of Force-sensitive followers and adepts and the free peoples only had Nelani. There were also the facts that Nelani was his wife and mother to their recently-born son, that the Church of the Dark Side had recruited friends and families of his trusted aides to get to leadership of the free peoples, and that the Church of the Dark Side wasn't above using such cruel tricks to get to Nelani. There were so many other reasons why the meeting and possible truce had been greeted with extreme skepticism that Raxi knew she was lucky that they hadn't been executed outright.

Arriving with two members of the Church of the Dark Side hadn't made things any easier. Raxi had spent the first few hours debating philosophy and finding herself in the very odd position of defending the views of Zal Vao and his little sister. If she wanted a truce to happen, she had to make the other side see that the Church of the Dark Side wasn't preaching hate and death and destruction. Which was easier said than done since she still didn't exactly trust the church or the plans its acolyte had for Siare.

Nelani breathed out slowly once more, then looked to Raxi with a wan grin that nearly made her resemble the Nelani Raxi had once known. There was still a hard edge to her that Raxi didn't remember seeing, as if the conditions on Lorrd had taken its toll. "Okay, I can't trust all of you since I don't think I can ever trust someone who seeks power at the expense of others. But you…and Siare…I'll trust until you prove me wrong."

"Thank you," Raxi matched Nelani's weary expression.

"I can get you the data you asked for, no problem…" Nelani began, then looked away. "Stopping the civil war before it breaks out though might be a tiny challenge."

"Only tens of millions of lives and the fate of a planet on the line, we'll get it done in no time," Raxi said with forced cheer.

"Only," Nelani turned back to her, her tired smile gaining new life. "Yeah, we were definitely friends before my memories got zapped. Wouldn't happen to know the Jedi who zapped them, would you?"

"Jedi?" Raxi was taken aback.

"Been thinking," Nelani nodded. "If it was a dark Jedi, they'd have killed me or turned me against the Jedi. Had to have been a Jedi thinking that wiping out most of who I am was a mercy or something."

Raxi swallowed heavily. She had a very strong feeling the Nelani already had her suspicions about that as well. "You…you were apprenticed to Jedi Master Solo, Jacen Solo that is. Were with him and his brother when you went…missing."

"So one of the defenders of the light and heroes of the galaxy zapped my brain?" Nelani didn't sound surprised, but she was gazing at a far wall, not really seeing it. "Makes me wonder if they had good reason to do it. I mean, if I were Jacen's apprentice why would he wipe my mind and leave me here?"

Raxi squirmed, not liking where her own thoughts were taking her. There had always been rumors that one of the brothers was close to falling to the dark side. HoloNet shows brought 'experts' on Jedi lore to analyze the minutia of every action the two had taken since becoming public figureheads. There was even one show that had two giant meters, each meter using the face of one of the Solo brothers as a background. On one side of the meter was a zone designated 'light side,' and the other 'dark side'. Depending on the actions of each brother, a needle moved towards one side or the other. The last show Raxi remembered seeing, the needle on both meters had been hovering right between the two 'sides'. It was ridiculous in the extreme but ridiculousness often had a small kernel of truth in them.

Nelani shook her head as if to clear it. "Let me get you the data first. That way if we lose the university's databanks, you'll still have a copy. For the peace, though, I don't have any ideas that don't end in blood, death, and destruction."

"I have a few," Raxi voiced, grateful for the change in topic. "But you're going to have to convince Coro and the others to release Zal and Tabor'cee. If we return without them, the followers of the church will probably assume the worst."

Nelani made a face. "Yeah, maybe I'll just release them without clearing it. As great as my husband is, his cabinet is full of hawks who want nothing more than to go to war. Releasing prisoners will require their full approval. It's a safeguard to prevent any one member from being influenced by the Force and acting unilaterally."

"And you'll be able to do it and not get in trouble?"

"I'm Nelani Luxe. If I do something, I have a good reason to because the 'Force told me to,'" Nelani shrugged. "The people here understand the Force as well as anyone can, but still rather stick their heads in the sand then look into it more. Any Force-related problem is bumped over to me."

"So if something happens to you…"

"Why do you think you have a dozen blasters aimed at you as we talk? That Coro insisted you wear that slave-collar with neural inhibitor and explosive device built in? All of the others with you have similar arrangements."

Raxi glanced to the top of the room were the Lorrdian commandos stood at the ready. "Nice to know your husband really cares."

"I did tell him it was overkill," Nelani chuckled ruefully. She stood and made a gesture to the soldiers above her. As one, they lowered their weapons. Another gesture and the slave-collar deactivated.

Seeing the dancing red dots of the laser sights vanish, Raxi smiled at Nelani. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet," Nelani shook her head. "We still have one almost civil-war and a galactic-wide plague to stop."

"A typical Jedi mission for you."

"That's oddly not reassuring at all," Nelani replied, opening the door to the room. "Maybe whichever Solo wiped my memories was doing me a favor then."

"You were making a difference in the galaxy, for good," Raxi shook her head. "No reason they have would justify that."

"Raxi, I have a planet I belong to. A family I love. A son who will have his first birthday in three months. A husband who cares for me. People who look to me for safety and reassurance. I don't have to be zooming about the galaxy making a difference. Why save the galaxy if I can't even help my home planet?"

"The trillions of others in the…"

"Are not Lorrdian," Nelani sighed, shaking her head. Her hand made a gesture similar to what Coro had done in his speech, but the meaning escaped Raxi. "You have to understand Raxi. I might look like the same Nelani you remember, but in reality, I'm not completely her. Lorrd is my home now, will always be my home. When you and the others leave to go galaxy-saving, I'll stay here. With my family. On a planet that will hopefully have avoided a devastating civil war thanks to our efforts. I've studied your Jedi Code. Does it matter if the helpless and defenseless we aid is one or one trillion? Is one planet's well-being worth sacrificing simply because your actions might help dozens of others? I don't know what the Solos had in mind when they wiped my memories, but they were at least kind enough to leave me here, where I have a future I want to look forward to."

As the two neared another set of doors, they both felt a spike of worry and alarm transmit through the Force. A harried soldier hurried towards them, eyes alert.

"Madame First Lady," he saluted Nelani.

"Report, Colonel."

The man was a complete professional as he rattled off his status report without emotion. "Madame, the One Sith proxies are on the move. As of thirty minutes ago, every Church of Dark Side pyramid in the region has been emptied of followers and they are taking to the streets. A massive crowd is heading in this direction and outnumber our local forces by at least five to one. Your husband has ordered our evacuation."

"Have any shots been fired?" Nelani asked sharply.

"No ma'am. But it's only a matter of…"

"Release the acolytes that traveled with Raxi and Siare," Nelani directed. "And meet me out front. Have automated defenses stand down."

"Ma'am, the danger is too great. We cannot guarantee your safety and Coro will bust me all the way back to private if I let anything happen to you."

"I'll be fine," Nelani smiled with what Raxi could tell was false reassurance. Apparently flying by the seat of her pants was one trait Nelani hadn't lost. "We don't want this to escalate. Have everyone hold their fire. The last thing we want is to give the Church of the Dark Side justification for their actions."

"Yes…ma'am," the colonel looked more than reluctant as he saluted a bit more glumly.

"Don't worry," Nelani's smile morphed into a smirk. "It'll work. The Force is on our side."

"Yes, ma'am," the colonel looked a bit more relieved as he hurried to carry off his orders.

"It is?" Raxi said when they were alone again.

"Probably should have mentioned it's on the Church's side as well," Nelani shrugged. She moved to a computer terminal in the hallway and brought up an image from the security cameras outside the building. "Don't want to bore him with the details though."

"So...do you have a plan?"

"You're the one running the show," Nelani shook her head. "Just try not to get us shot, stabbed, blown up, choked, hurled, lightning-fried, or have us get any other crippling or lethal injuries."

"Stay unstabbed, got it," Raxi glanced at the monitor and felt her heartbeat increase. She could tell why the soldier had been so anxious to get them to evacuate. Swarming towards the building they were in from all sides was a mass of people numbering in the thousands. Leading the crowd was not High Prophet Toparic but another man wearing similar flowing robes. "We're probably going to have to talk to that guy. Negotiate some sort of agreement."

"Senior Cleric Sicivar," Nelani noted with a grimace. "Or Senior Cleric Ordan. They're Toparic's top henchmen. If they stay true to form, the negotiations are going to be very short."

"Well, at least we can say we tried," Raxi sighed, shaking her head and wondering how she ended up responsible for ending a civil war. Then her mental self chided the rest of her, _because you volunteered to do it. Now stop whining and end the civil war, girl._ Raxi took a deep breath and forced the same fake smile on her face that Nelani had shown the colonel. With a resolute nod, she began walking towards the building's front entrance with Nelani a step behind her. "Do or do not. I don't care how badly the Force is stacking the tables against us, we're Jedi and we're definitely going to _do_."

 **LotJB[IV]LotJB**

Cassa Solo gazed at her reflection in the clear pool of water. She was exhausted mentally and emotionally, and it showed in her young green eyes. Her face still bore the makeup that had been used to turn her skin Yuuzhan Vong blue-gray, and her garb was that of the highest of Yuuzhan Vong priestly caste integrated into her mother's old Jedi robes. 'Emissary of the Gods,' the crowd had called her. The elaborate ceremony Shaeri had put on to cement Cassa's position had been an all day affair. The head of each domains of the ' _Yun'o E'ron'—_ those 'enlightened' by the gods—had come up and pledged the loyalty of life and domain to the teen. In exchange, they asked for the blessing and protection only the 'true' emissary of the Yun'o could bestow.

"What am I doing?" Cassa asked her alien reflection.

The words, promises, and symbolic prayers of the ceremonies still echoing in the back of her mind like a never-ending soundtrack. She could hear the multitude of voices chanting her name and all of her titles. Could hear the song-like prayers of the hopeful of the true believers. As she continued to stare at her reflection, she could still see them prostrated before the stage, rocking back and forth as they lost themselves in the rhythm of the prayer.

The climax of the ceremonies had been when the faithful had worked themselves into a manic fervor, their prayers called out in an almost delirious cry of thousands of voices calling out at once. They had been swaying back and forth like a field of amphistaff in high wind, heartbeats synchronized by the will of Zonama Nen-Yim. Like a crowd in the middle of a spice-high, the delirium had been both awe-inspiring, but also terrifying to watch.

The knowledge that all those people were counting on her to see them through dark times was nerve-wrecking. Cassa wondered how her parents first felt when they had realized that the Yuuzhan Vong saw them as members of the divine. With religion practically bred into every generation of Yuuzhan Vong, it was an integral part of them that had the potential to turn them into mindless zealots that would do anything because 'the gods commanded it'. The Dark Witch had figured that out just as Shimrra had, with devastating results.

Now she had to lead her own band of fanatics in a fight against evil.

Cassa groaned audibly, wondering when her life had turned into some giant space-drama.

" _Yun'So'ran_."

Cassa opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder. "Jae'na. Really? You're going to do the eye-averting thing too?"

"Supreme Leader Shaeri commanded it," the Yuuzhan Vong teen nodded. Like Cassa, she was still wearing the ceremonial clothing Shaeri had picked out for her. In this case, it was the most regal hybrid priestly-Shamed One's outfit ever created; designed to convey that Jae'na was the personal servant of the divine itself. To Cassa's great chagrin, Jae'na had spent almost the entire time on stage prostrated before her. "You are the chosen of the divine, sent to the _Yun'o E'ron_ in our time of need."

"Okay, never mind." Cassa felt a surge of disappointment threaten to bring tears to her eyes. She swallowed heavily and hid her reaction by looking back to her reflection. "What did you want?"

" _So'ran_ …"

"It's just Cassa, Jae'na. I'm still me. We were friends once, right? There's no one else around."

" _So'ran_ …" Jae'na repeated, a hint of apology in her voice. With VongForce, Cassa could tell that Jae'na did not want anyone to overhear and mistake her friendship as a sign of disrespect. "As you might already know, the Warmasters hold a strategy meeting to begin our offensive on the forces of Yun-Lingni. Should it please you to offer your own insight, Supreme Commander Czalpak will welcome your presence."

Cassa took a moment to decipher the meaning of the obsequious request. When she did, her face twisted into horrified shock. "We can't go on the offensive now! We're not ready!"

"If it is as you say, then perhaps you might let the Warmasters know of the will of the Yun'o," Jae'na said carefully.

Cassa picked herself off the ground and brushed the loamy dirt from her clothes. "Very well, lead me to them."

Jae'na bowed her head submissively and gestured for Cassa to follow. They made good time through the darkened tampaasi, the twin blue moons high in the sky—in actuality two planets caught in binary orbit thanks to Zonama's arrival in the system playing havoc with the system's gravimetric forces—lighting the way. Before they had even reached the grotto where the meeting was being held, Cassa could hear raised voices barking at one and other like a pack of hounds.

"We have the _Sor'an_ now!" A voice roared. "We should not wait a second longer to take the war to the Dark One!"

"Domain Tiivik is right. The gods have granted us their emissary to show their favor. Cassa Solo is _Sor'an_ and with her we are unstoppable."

"Our people have had enough of the Dark Witch's terror. It is time we remind them that it is we who embody the full spirit of our ancestors!"

Cassa paused outside the grotto as the argument continued to echo out. Though she had brushed up on her Yuuzhan Vong since returning to Zonama, the regional differences and slang still escaped her. Turning, she looked to her Yuuzhan Vong friend, who in turn was paying careful attention to her feet.

"Jae'na," Cassa said through gritted teeth. "You will look at me or I swear the Yun'o will make sure all the food you taste after today taste like _kane a bar_!"

Jae'na head jerked up a fraction of a second in alarm, then realizing what she had just done, sent a sour look at her friend. "The Supreme Leader never said you'd be such a tyrant. If I were to treat you as Cassa Solo, regular Jedi and my friend, then people will either doubt your divinity or curse my audacity towards the divine and try to kill _me_."

Cassa did her best not to throttle her friend. "I'll just tell them all you're a demi-god or something. You _are_ named after the Avatar of Yun-Harla after all."

"Please don't, _Yun'So'ran_ ," Jae'na grimaced. "I don't look good in overblown ceremonial robes."

"Overblown!?" Cassa flapped her arms. "What's wrong with my robes?"

Jae'na quickly looked around to see if there was anyone nearby. Then leaned forward and gestured for Cassa to do the same. She cupped her hand next to Cassa's ear, and then smirked. "Everything."

"Why you…."

Footsteps crunched on the gravel of the cave followed by a voice cursing up a storm, and Jae'na quickly leaped away, her feet interesting once more.

"I swear those cowardly sons _of….Yun'So'ran!"_ Gasped a scarred warrior. He quickly bowed his head, following Jae'na's example of not looking directly at her

"Warmaster Das."

"What are you doing he…I mean, how might I be of service?"

"The sounds from the grotto," Cassa gestured. "I hear I am being called ' _Sor'an_. That is not a word this vessel is familiar with."

"It means 'Chosen One,' Emissary," the Warmaster relayed. " _Yun'So'ran._ You are the chosen of the gods. They must have brought you here and now to help me convince the others of our next plan of action."

"And that would be?"

"To take the fight to the Dark Witch and her mindless drones," the Warmaster made a fist. "With you present, no one can deny the support of the Yun'o."

"Tell me, Warmaster, are you an adherent to Yun-Rhysode?" Cassa asked, wondering if this was what her own parents had to deal with.

"Emissary?"

"Some warriors adhere to Yun-Rhysode, I thought you might be one of them."

"Why would you say that, Emissary?"

"I don't know, maybe because your plan to directly confront Yun-Lingni's chosen and her horde of drones will only give you a victory atop a pile of all of our corpses?" Cassa said sarcastically. "Just because I'm here doesn't mean I can protect you or your forces from injury created by your own stupidity. By the way, I can die too and I guarantee that the Yun'o won't be the only ones upset if I do. I'll definitely be one of them."

"The mere existence of the Dark Witch and her followers is an affront to the Yun'o. Every day that goes by with their blood un-spilled and…"

"Listen you…"

" _Yun'So'ran!_ Might I be bold enough to speak for you? Your sacred voice should not be used in petty conversation," Jae'na said quickly.

Cassa shot her friend a dirty look but nodded once.

Jae'na stepped forward. "Honored Warmaster, what the _Yun'So'ran_ means is that the will of the Dark God is not so easily cast aside. Already Yun-Yuuzhan, the Cosmic Lord, has fallen to his whispers. Already the war-maker and patron of Jedi Jacen Solo, the fierce Yun-Yamka has passed into darkness. We cannot face the Dark One with our feet planted when the all-father and master of war stand at his side."

"Shamed-spawn you dare…" Falling back on centuries of reflex, the Warmaster raised his hand to strike Jae'na.

"You touch her and that will be the last thing you do," Cassa said in an icy voice. The ceremonial coufee she had held during the nerf-and-wookie show was held out towards the warrior the second he took a step towards Jae'na. The warrior looked at her darkly, and Cassa glared right back. "Try it, we'll see who the gods truly favor."

"Instead," Jae'na continued a bit more nervously than before. "What the Emissary of the Yun'o wishes is that we use the strengths of the Yun'o still favoring us in this war. Yun-Harla, Yun-Ne'shel, Yun-Shuno, and the lover gods who are split between us and Yun-Lingni. We will use our cunning to bring the Dark One's servants into ruin. Shape new biots to make up for the difference in numbers. Free those held against their will by the Dark One and forgive them for their trespasses. There is the war that Supreme Overlord Shimraa and Tsavong Lah fought, and the war we must fight now."

"You allow this Shamed-spawn to speak for you, _So'ran_?" the Warmaster said bitingly.

"Yes," Cassa returned tersely. "And her name is Jae'na, remember it. We need to fight smarter, not harder, if we want to win. The difference between the Dark Witch and me is that I actually care if you guys all die in a war that shouldn't even need to be fought in the first place."

"This is a war against…"

"We go to any sort of war and we play right into Yun-Yamka's hands," Cassa interrupted, swiping a hand through the air in emphasis and stepping towards the grizzled warrior. "We descend to the tactics of the Dark Witch's people and we allow Yun-Lingni into our hearts. We turn Zonama Nen-Yim into a weapon of war and we are no better than the fallen Yun-Yuuzhan. Our goal is not to take life, to kill our enemy to the last, or to prove that we are the stronger fighters. Our goal is to _survive_. To ensure that the Yuuzhan Vong survive this war as a race and not destroy themselves and their home like they have done in the past. My mother, the Avatar of Yun-Shuno, once granted forgiveness to all those shamed, redeemed them and made them free. My father, Avatar of Yun-Ne'shel, transcended the cortices and introduced a melding of biots and metal technologies. Neither stuck to old ways to try and win a war that was completely new to the galaxy. Instead, they shaped their very situation and saved many lives on _both_ sides of the war. _That_ is our goal. To change, to adapt, to show the true strength of the Yuuzhan Vong people. A strength that is not in making war, but in surviving, in _living_ despite every challenge the Yun'o has thrown your way. I _am_ the Emissary of the Yun'o, and with your assistance, I _will_ protect _all_ life on this planet."

Cassa ended her speech, huffing and puffing and glaring with cool green eyes at the warrior who was several heads taller than her and had more muscle than she did mass. His eyes flicked over her shoulder, and she followed his gaze to see the other Warmasters and Supreme Commander Czalpak standing in the entrance of the cave looking on. Supreme Leader Shaeri was towards the back of the gathering and gave Cassa a small wink of support before her face became completely impassive.

"You were there at her confirmation ceremony. Heard now with your own ears the wisdom of the Yun'o. Does anyone still doubt that the gods speak through her?" Czalpak said gruffly, whirling on the others.

One by one, the other Warmasters looked at her, and then shook their heads. One by one they dropped to one knee and turned their gazes to the ground, a fist clasped over their chest. Last among the Warmasters was Warmaster Das, who held her determined gaze for several long seconds, before finally tilting his head in silent respect and falling to one knee. Once the last of the Warmasters had knelt, Czalpak and Shaeri likewise dropped to one knee. Cassa saw Jae'na out of the corner of her eyes about to follow the others and sent her Yuuzhan Vong friend a glare-of-utter-doom. Jae'na's motion became an awkward curtsy before she gave Shaeri a 'what do you want me to do, she commanded it' helpless look.

The Warmasters intoned in a unison created by the psychic waves of Zonama Nen-Yim, "Command us, Emissary of the Yun'o. Command us _Yun'Sor'an._ "

Cassa took in a slow breath, her spine feeling like it had been replaced with durasteel. "Rise."

When they did as she bade, she couldn't help but shiver. She began to truly realize the power she now had. She closed her eyes, feeling the planet beneath her stir at her thoughts. Having been born on Zonama, she didn't even need to slip into what her parents had called 'Vongphase' to feel the thoughts and emotions of everyone around her. She could even feel Zonama Nen-Yim and the silent support Nen Yim and those connected to the growing World Brain were giving her.

She released a breath that was just as slow and held out her hands. The very ground beneath her obeyed her thoughts, a platform of earth rising to elevate her above the others much like the Dark Witch had done. She could hear Jae'na's astonished gasp, could sense both bewilderment and confidence from the Warmasters. She rose until the heads of the others were just below her feet, and let a gust of wind ruffle her hair and robes. Looking down at her audience, she silently began to truly understand just what her parents had put into the Yuuzhan Vong.

Cassa held a hand up to the sky and Zonama Nen-Yim caused the clouds above to crackle in a loud clash of thunder. She called on the Force to swirl around her as she tapped into the nearly unlimited wellspring the planet had to offer her. Could feel the heartbeats of everyone, could see their hopes and dreams. As she immersed herself in a planet she had once considered home, she felt the last of her doubts was away.

Vongerella, the Dark Witch, might have wanted her to become a goddess to rule the planet. But Cassa was going to become a goddess to save it.

As the Force swirled and pulsed, running through her veins like liquid energy, Cassa felt an equal and opposite disturbance. The Dark Witch had felt her claim to the planet from wherever in the galaxy the One Sith had called her. Had felt the claim and was murderously gleeful in her answer to the challenge.

Cassa smiled faintly and sent a two-worded response through the Force. _Bring it!_

 **IV-I-IV-I-IV**

"Speaker of the Dark One," a Slayer hissed. They had all felt it, the disturbance in the Force that signaled the gods' displeasure.

The Dark Witch, once known as Vongerella, slowly rose from the stone throne in the ancient Korriban tomb.

"What is it?" Darth Krayt asked evenly, the meeting grinding to a halt.

The Dark Witch closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, the Force weaving around her like a fragile tapestry. Her eyes, yellow and red and full of malice, snapped open. The tapestry was torn to shreds in a pulse of hate and a twisted smile distorted her features.

"Darth Krayt asked you a question. Therefore it would behoove you to answer!" Wyyrlok barked.

"A seed has finally sprouted," the Dark Witch chuckled, settling back into her throne. The tension left her body as she lounged lazily, gazing up at the stone roof of the room. "But I will wait for it to bear fruit before plucking it. The riper the fruit, the tastier the meal. Isn't that right, my apprentice?"

A red-skinned Twi'lek—the same age as Cassa—seated on the backs of her legs next to the Dark Witch, nodded obediently. Surge-coral grew out of her lekku and tattoo-like glyphs literally carved into her flesh on every expanse of exposed skin gleamed red with dried blood in the dim light of the tomb. The Force emanated from her in waves of pain and despair, her eyes showing little life otherwise.

"Such a good girl," the Dark Witch cooed, caressing the Twi'lek and causing the young teen to flinch violently. "My own Vongerella. My talon that I will use to claw out the heart of the child of the one that would be my sister."

" _Enough! You talk in riddles_ ," hissed the annoyed hologram of Darth Malleus. " _You were telling us that_ _the Yuuzhan Vong in this galaxy are not so easily converted. That you would be staying to deal with the matter personally. Has that changed?"_

"Nothing has changed," Vongrella croaked, her optical implant glittering. The shroud that covered her head fell back when she shifted on her throne. Even in the dim lighting of the tomb, the green flames from the torches revealed a fresh skin-graft on her skull. Vongerella pulled the shroud back into place. "And I do not fear for Yuuzhan'tar. Though I am here and not there, the young Solo will learn all about despair. Her friends will die, her world will burn, and her will bent to my own. Such is the price of coming face-to-face with the divine. Against a world, against a god, so helpless she will be. And then she will regret, ever challenging Onimi and me."

 **LotJB[V]LotJB**

"Do it," Darth Moderus said tonelessly upon hearing the latest report from the head of One Sith counter-intelligence.

"You are certain?" Lord Rexus asked in matching tones.

"Corran Horn has outlived his usefulness anyways," Darth Moderus said, staring out at Coronet through the windows of his office in the Corellian Sith Praxeum. "If Mirax was foolish enough to think she and her confederates could escape your notice, then she must pay the price. She has spent much of her years skirting the law. Now she will deal with the consequences. Have her join the Antilles' execution. We'll show the galaxy that not even a famed Jedi Master can prevent the death of his wife."

"Then what will you have done with your father?"

"If he continues to cooperate, allow him to resume teaching our acolytes."

"And if he does not?"

"I will deal with it personally," Valin answered in clipped tones. He turned back towards the kneeling dark Jedi. "You have done well, Lord Rexus."

"Thank you, Darth."

"I have decided to personally attend the coming execution and will task you with the security of the base. Should the event go as planned, you will be well rewarded. I may even grant Corellia to you as I further the One Sith in other areas of this galaxy."

"I…I would be honored."

"Of course you would. But it would be an honor well-deserved. Darth Traya trained you well. You ferreted out the Antilles and their treachery. Found the CorDef sympathizers on Gus Talon. Even uncovered the network of agents Mirax was using to send information to the traitors on this world."

"Darth Namman Cha's death was a blow to the One Sith and I would not have felt satisfied until I had found all those responsible for his death."

"Indeed. As for Mirax's agents. Were you able to discover who they reported to or where they were disappearing to?"

"They were very careful and highly decentralized," Lord Rexus grimaced. "I believe they might even be receiving help from a Galactic Alliance intelligence unit on this planet that Darth Traya missed. From what I was able to glean from one of the captured locals, they believed the unit is Wraith Squadron. That matches Myri Antilles' presence on the planet as she is rumored to be among their number."

"How…interesting," Valin said blankly. "I know that there is a former member of Wraith Squadron operating a tour business in this city. Could there be any possible connections with them?"

"Donoslaine Excursions. My people questioned them extensively after the shuttle used to pick up the fleeing Jedi was traced back to them. But the family that runs the company was giving a tour to several influential business people at the time and were cleared."

"Send a team to check on them one more time, just in case. As you know, there is no such thing as coincidence when it comes to the Force."

"Yes, Darth Moderus."

"Then I will leave you to the security plans, Lord Rexus. And I will relay your successes and abilities to Darth Krayt himself."

"Thank you, Darth Moderus. You are generous as always."

"Only with those who succeed in their jobs, Lord Rexus. If, during the live-streaming execution, even the slightest hiccup occurs, if any rebel sympathizers or those surviving Jedi embarrass the One Sith in any way or form. It will also be you who will pay for it."

"I understand fully, Darth Moderus. The executions will proceed as scheduled and all of the Core Worlds will learn about the price of believing in the Jedi."

"Very good. Leave me."

"Yes, Darth Moderus."

Valin waited for the other man's powerful presence to grow distant before letting even a fraction of emotion to slip through. With a grunt of frustration, he pounded a fist on the ebony-colored metal desk, causing stacks of datapads to scatter. Mirax had been too careless, had assumed that after nearly three months of freely passing information to GA-sympathetic ears, that she had developed a foolproof method. She forgot to realize that not everyone in her network was as capable of guarding their thoughts as she was. A single One Sith acolyte had picked up on treasonous thoughts and reported it up the chain of command. In the span of two weeks, Mirax's entire web of operatives had been rounded up, with some summarily executed on the spot.

Again Valin was forced to choose between the welfare of the rest of Corellia and a single life. But this wasn't just any life. This was his mother. Could he really have her killed, just as he had ended Tiu's life? Could he stand by for the sake of a world and allow a small evil to take place to prevent a bigger evil? He also knew that Lord Rexus was far from the obedient pawn the muscle-bound, sniper-rifle-using dark Jedi liked to portray himself as.

Alema had warned him early on that Darth Traya was far from ignorant of their role in getting her master killed. Knew that they had provoked Lady Sani into taking on Jacen and Anakin. Lord Rexus might only have been a lord, but Valin knew that with the man's skill-set and mind, Lord Rexus might as well be a Darth already. Rexus was Lady Traya's check on Alema's own aspirations and a part of the reason why Alema hadn't stayed on Corellia.

Valin brought up his sister's profile on his computer and steepled his fingers.

"Your move, sister. What are you going to do now?"

 **V-I-V-I-V**

"What are we going to do?"

Jysella Horn's expression was completely wooden at the question, betraying no feeling one way or another despite being told that her mother would soon be executed. The news of Syal Antilles' betrayal and upcoming execution had been spread throughout Corellian-held space. For those loyal to the Diktat and One Sith Corellia, Syal Antilles was a traitor of the worst kind, deserving of a slow and very painful execution to serve as a message for all others. For those who secretly worked to bring down the One Sith and its puppet leader Thracken Sal-Solo, Syal Antilles was a heroine of the highest order. Someone who had infiltrated the ranks of the One Sith and struck a killing blow against an Inner Circle member of Darth Krayt's empire.

Unfortunately or not, Namman Cha's death had caused Darth Moderus to crack-down even harder on suspected Jedi-sympathizers. People were being told to spy on their neighbors, to report any suspicions at all regardless of their truthfulness. 'Re-education' camps had popped up for those who weren't quite as loyal as the Diktat and his forces desired. At night, secret police forces under the Corellian Centerpoint and Coreworlds Protectorate would raid houses and detain anyone deemed 'subversive' or 'suspicious'. The media was put entirely under state-control, and identity papers were needed at a plethora of checkpoints that had popped up overnight.

And it wasn't just Syal that was being executed. Wedge and Iella, as well as Mirax Terrik Horn, were scheduled to die as well in a highly politicized and propagandized event that was sure to send shockwaves through the GA.

"It's obviously a trap," Jedi Apprentice Shrona growled in annoyance.

"But one we cannot ignore," Natua Wan stated. "To allow the famed Antilles family to die would be a devastating blow to morale not just on Corellia, but across the Galactic Alliance."

"I don't like it," Jysella said softly, staring at the holo of the four people up for execution and focusing on Syal in particular. She could still remember Syal's harsh words after the Killik War, knew that Syal had no love for the Jedi. For Syal to suddenly jeopardize everything just didn't make sense. Was she actually bait meant to draw GA-leaning rebels in? "Syal had everything she could have wished for. Why throw it away?"

"Could someone have framed her?" Tarc Slane asked grimly. "The Red Blades aren't exactly the best team-players."

"She made her choices," Jysella shook her head. "Was completely in control when she had Gus Talon blasted to bits. Don't make excuses for her."

"So what, we let them kill her then save her parents and your mom?" One of the others asked in disbelief.

"Or we don't save them at all," Jysella glanced to the others, her eyes cold ice.

"What have we spent the last few months training for if not to fight the One Sith?"

"To fight them on _our_ terms. Not theirs. There are more of them than us. They have an entire planet's army on their side. Marching into that detention center will be more like suicide than anything. Especially if we're going to be risking everything for a retired spy, pilot, former-smuggler, and Red-Blade waver."

"We can't just let them die," protested another apprentice.

"So you would die for them?" Jysella said coldly. "They are being held in a high-security facility on a military base inside a mountain. That's over a battalion of soldiers, squadrons of fighters, and that blasted dreadnaught in low orbit above it. They won't be leaving that place alive. Tell me how you expect us to get in and save them?"

"We have to do something," the apprentice said in distress.

"Listen, we're Jedi, but we can't save everyone," Jysella barked. "People die, deal with it. We'll make sure the murderers are dealt with, but that's all we can do at this point. We have practically no resources, and the moment we show our face anywhere on this planet we'll have One Sith raining down from everywhere. As much as you want to, we just _can_ ' _t_ afford any rescue mission."

"It's your own mother! You're going to let her die!?"

"And how is me getting killed trying to save her going to help any?" Jysella snapped in turn. "I love my mom, sure as Kessel don't want to see her get her head chopped off. But unless you have an army of soldiers I don't know about hidden somewhere, rescuing them just isn't possible!"

"Jysella," Natua said, her monotone gaining a slightly strict tone to it. "May I speak to you outside?"

"Fine," Jysella glared at the Falleen Knight and disengaged from the table. She looked to the others. "Continue your training. While everyone is focused on the execution, we'll go after One Sith targets of opportunity. Dismissed."

Jysella controlled her breathing and ensured her emotional barriers were as solid as ever as she walked alongside the older Jedi up a winding flight of stairs. Their base for the time being was an antiquated lighthouse that stood on a rocky outcropping just off the coast of Coronet. Tarc's adopted parents had recommended it after their last safe-house had been compromised. Replaced by a modern-day sensor buoy, the lighthouse had been a 'tourist' location that Donoslane Excursions had often taken guests to visit. With all travel heavily restricted, no one was going to tour the location any time soon.

"I know what you're going to say," Jysella sighed softly, the sea breeze carried on a warm wind blew through crack glass paneling. "That I shouldn't be too hard on them."

"You already know that," Natua shook her head. "I merely wish to know how you are doing."

"You?" Jysella arched an eyebrow at Natua. Being Falleen meant that dealing with emotions weren't exactly Natua's strength.

"Me." Natua kept a level gaze in Jysella's direction that caused the human woman to look out at the capital city's glowing night-time lights.

"What do you want me to say, Natua?" Jysella breathed out. "That I'm frakkin' miserable? That I'm barely holding it together? That, despite all my training otherwise, I want to charge right up to Darth Moderus and introduce him to my lightsaber blade? The kids downstairs were right. What's the point of training if we can't make a difference when it matters? At the same time, if we go in, we get slaughtered. There's no happy median here."

"We must…"

"If you say 'trust in the Force' I'll bean you with the back side of my lightsaber," Jysella glared.

"Trust that things will work out for the better," Natua amended with a ghost of a smirk.

Jysella smirked as well, rolling her eyes and looking away again. "I don't know what to do, Natua."

"First, gets some rest," Natua directed. "You have been up for two and a half days now, and even super-Jedi need rest."

"Definitely not a super-Jedi. That was Valin."

"After you rest, then you get something to eat. Tarc's parents didn't give us those fresh provisions for nothing."

"And then?"

"And then we trust in the Force."

"Sometimes I hate you, Green Girl."

"At least it is only 'sometimes'."

Jysella lightly shoved the Falleen. "Thanks for helping me decompress."

"Wholly unintentional."

"Thanks anyways," Jysella laughed softly. "Who knows maybe you're right and the Force will give us an answer."

 **V-II-V-II-V**

Myri Antilles needed an answer or she was going to go mad. There was nothing more frustrating than knowing your family was about to be executed, knowing you had a way into the base where they were held, and not being able to act on that information. Given that the jailers were Force-sensitive and would sniff out any threat before, any action would only get her killed.

Of course, any inaction would get her parents and older sister killed. That wasn't acceptable either. Myri Antilles' only hope was to help the One Sith track down the surviving Green Jedi, then somehow get the rest of the One Sith search party killed and fake her own death. All before her mom, dad, and sister were executed.

Nice and uncomplicated.

Not.

She needed some sort of answer to this problem. And she needed the answer yesterday.

Myri tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she studied the datapad the One Sith had given out to all 'auxiliary'—see a collection of mercenaries, bounty-hunters, people with grudges against the Jedi, and other characters of ill-repute—search units. She and fellow Wraith Squadron member Trey Courser were in 'Talon Group Two,' a fifteen-person search-team headed up by a dark Jedi of middling ability. Said dark Jedi, Acolyte Ravisin thought the rest of the group was below him and only stopped by their bunkroom when absolutely necessary.

The doors to the room slid open.

Myri clenched her jaw and quickly guarded her thoughts. Speak of the Hutt.

"Listen up, scum," Ravisin, who was probably even younger than her, said in his customary 'I'm too good to deal with you' voice. "Darth Moderus is most displeased with our lack of progress. That means I'm displeased as hell with you lot. There are only so many places the Jedi can hide with an entire planet looking for them. Talon Two will be the first to find and kill every last one of them."

"It'd help if your Darth Moderus actually gave us a place to look," drawled one of the thugs in the team.

Ravisin's yellow eyes darted to the man, and then the dark Jedi made a hand-gesture. The man let out a gasp and fell to the ground, neck broken. "Anyone else feel the need to comment?"

The others wisely stayed silent.

"Good choice," the dark Jedi snarled. "While the others go on a wild Bantha chase, Lord Rexus wants Talon Two to be going over the intel we already have. It's a long-shot, I know. But maybe the others missed something, or thought about it the wrong way. First and foremost is the owner of the taxi that was used to evacuate the Jedi. Records show that it was from a touring company called Donoslane Excursions."

"The reports say that Lord Rexus already interrogated both and came away with nothing," one of the other mercenaries read off a datapad.

"And the owners of the company will think that they are in the clear," the Ravisin folded his arms in front of him. "I want you all to pay a visit to this company's headquarters. Make it clear that if they have any sympathies to the Jedi, they will regret it most dearly."

"And if there are Jedi there?" another of the mercenaries asked.

"I will take care of them," the dark Jedi said with all the bravado of one high off the dark side of the Force. "Now go! Let us be the first to bring Darth Moderus the heads of the Jedi, and he will reward us beyond our wildest dreams!"

Keeping separate from Trey for the most part, Myri caught his eye across the room and he nodded back. It was more likely that _they_ were the ones about to go on the wild Bantha chase, but she couldn't afford to pass up the only chance she had at saving her family.

The now fourteen members of Talon Two quickly piled out of their barracks and into their vehicle bay. Many of the mercenaries were using their own speeders or hover-tanks. Myri and Trey had arrived several days apart with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their blasters on their belts. They both climbed into the Ravisin's personal vehicle—a re-appropriated CorDef armored personnel carrier—with a half-dozen others as the dark Jedi took the pilot's seat. The hangar doors opened, and the convoy of vehicles swooped out into the pre-dawn Coronet city lights.

The trip to the Donoslane Excursions' headquarters didn't take long at all. They were going in using the One Sith self-explanatory tactic of Four I's—Isolate, Intimidate, Interrogate, then Immolate—and had no need to talk strategy. Traveling in the same vehicle as their One Sith squad leader did have some downsides. Myri made sure to keep her thoughts focused solely on finding the Jedi, and not the actual reason why she _needed_ to find them. Eyes darting to where the Force-user was concentrating on driving Myri tried to work out what she would do if this tour company _did_ know where the Jedi were.

"Arriving in five!" Ravisin barked out. "Bring us glory!"

The vehicles all touched down outside the hangar used by the company owners as their place of residence and business. The vehicle doors opened in unison, and the heavily armored forms of Talon Two's advance team took point. The 'specialists' and lighter-armored combatants came up next, allowing Ravisin to saunter behind their ranks.

"Mom! They're here!" Myri heard a voice call out from the roof of the building.

"Bradley, get back!" A female voice that had to be Kirney Slane pierced the pre-dawn chill.

As if sensing fear and weakness, Ravisin let a twisted smile come to his face shortly before reaching up to pull his mask down. No sooner had he begun the action than a laser speared out from one of the hangar windows and removed the top half of the budding dark Jedi's head.

"Go, go, go!"

"Open fire!"

"Jedi-loving worms!"

Immediately the heavy team opened fire on the upper registries of the hangar. Plasma and super-heated metal slugs ripped through the flimsy building material in a deafening roar. Another laser flashed, this time from the opposite corner of the hangar. The mercenary with the rotary cannon was spun around with his finger still depressing the trigger. The rapid-fire laser rounds shredded the three closest to him and caused two fireballs to form where two speeders had been parked, before the energy pack was depleted.

"Call in air-support!" Yelled one of the panicked mercs, throwing down his weapons and fleeing.

Meanwhile, Myri and Trey had dove back behind their armored personnel carrier along with two others. They watched the others continue the frontal assault, but as if the tour-operators had planned for an eventual assault by a heavily armed strike force, there was nothing to take cover behind in the trip to the hangar doors. Myri caught the glint of a tube being pushed through the pitted hangar wall and pointed their way, and her heart skipped a beat. The tour operators had _definitely_ planned to be attacked. And it looked like they were playing for keeps.

"Trey, does that look like what I think it looks like," Myri managed shakily, already rising and back-pedaling.

Trey followed her gaze and likewise paled. "Let's hope it's the low-yield variety."

The four hiding behind the armored car frantically began running for their lives. "Where in the kriff do tour-operators get tactical nuclear devices?"

"Why does it matter?! They have one now!"

They heard an ominous screeching 'whoosh', shortly before the blast-wave sent them flying through the air accompanied by a searing wave of heat.

Myri, ears ringing, frantically swatted at the flames that were engulfing her, the heat making every breath pure agony. In her pain, she could have sworn she saw an Ewok in a pilot's outfit, and briefly wondered if dying was seeing the ridiculous. She jerked her head towards her Wraith Squadron partner and saw that Trey was worse off than she was. A large piece of the armored carrier was embedded in one leg in a melted, twisted mess, and the top half of his torso was badly burned. The other two that had been hiding with them had been slower and had been incinerated by the blast.

"Over here! I think someone survived!" A younger female voice called out.

"Stay back, Falynn," a male voice barked.

"One of them's on fire!"

The gravel crunched, and a fire-extinguishing foam was sprayed over Myri's thrashing body. Myri couldn't help but whimper in relief.

"Myn, we have to go, now," Kirney's voice said urgently. "CorDef scanners say Red Blade support is imminent."

Myri watched helplessly as Myn raised his sniper rifle at her. Though tears of pain streaked down her cheeks, her next few tears were one of despair. If she died, who would save her family? Then Myn stopped, glancing down at her with a cautious tilt of his head.

"Antilles?"

Myri blinked wildly and did her best to nod. In the reflection off of his sniper scope, she could see that the heat had melted away the prosthetics she had used to disguise herself.

"Lucky son of a Gundark," Myn said, his own eyes wide in shock. "Falynn, get her to the speeder."

Myri managed to point at an unconscious Trey and just managed a harsh croak. "He's Wraith Squadron too."

"I've got him."

"The Jedi, have to save my family," Myri pleaded.

"We'll save them, don't worry," Myn said gently. "I owe your father a debt I'll never be able to repay."

"Thank you," Myri sobbed in relief. Maybe, just maybe, she'd save her family after all. She couldn't even contemplate any other outcome.

 **LotJB[Chapter End]LotJB**

 **A\N:** And now we lead into a bit more action for all the story arcs of Side B. Hope you enjoyed this update. The next arc of Forging the Future has a posting date of mid-late August. Side A and B will be updated either in August or September depending on progress and RL.

To the anon reviewers, thanks a bunch for the compliments! I really can't believe I've been working on this fishVerse of the fandom for seven years now and the reviews definitely help keep me motivated.


	8. Chapter 8

**Eight**

 **LotJB[I]LotJB**

The power had been cut to the city block where the Free People of Lorrd's regional headquarters was located. Though the headquarters had their own generators, the surrounding streets were cloaked in shadow. Cloaked in shadow and filled with many moving shadows.

The mob flooded in from around the compound, surrounding the building with frightening speed and precision. Some were holding worn blasters, others vibroweapons of various makes and models. Flickering flames from live-fire torches accompanied the electrical glow of mechanical lights. Most of those gathered were in worn and ragged street clothes, gaunt and pale skeletons with soot-smeared faces.

A single leader of the crowd waited outside the towering metal gates of the compound, clad in flowing black robes with gold embroidery and sterile black mask. Spread out behind him were dozens of similarly dressed individuals, though their robes wasn't as elaborate.

"Hold brother!" Church of the Dark Side Missionary Zal Vao's voice rang out over the deathly silence. He stood with several others atop the battlements of the compound, figure illuminated by the floodlights shining from the main building.

"Nelani, tell your people to lower their weapons," Raxi murmured.

"Look at them out there," Nelani protested.

"Exactly. Is a dozen blasters going to make a difference if they decide to storm this place?" Raxi hissed out. "Don't want anyone to be blaster-happy or have someone _make_ them blaster-happy."

Nelani picked up her comlink. "All forces, lower your weapons. Fire only if fired upon."

In the meantime, Zal continued to address the crowd. "Brothers, sisters, the Sith Code teaches that only through victory can our chains be broken. Would it be a victory for this noble planet should it descend to civil war? Would it be a victory to those that will fall in needless violence should you descend on this place like Antarian loci? Tabor'cee, Acolyte Kozdoru, and myself are unharmed, have been treated well. There is nothing to be gained from inciting violence in this place. By avoiding civil war we are denying the darkness a chance to claim more lives. We are striking a victory against death itself. Your passions are commendable, but misplaced. Return to your homes, to your families. Things are under control here."

Senior Cleric Ordan, the leader in the gold-trimmed robes, tilted his head up to look at Zal. "Hardly, Brother Vao! The forces of Coro Luxe continue to harass and instigate the followers of our great church. Even now they detain you without cause simply because of your beliefs."

"My sister and I, and Acolyte Kozdoru, are free to go as we please," Zal corrected. "We came here of our own free will to stop potential violence that will savage this already war-torn world. We came here for the power of knowledge."

"The orders have already been given, Brother Vao," Ordan called back. "We will countenance no further disrespect from Coro's cronies. Help us bring down the walls of this place and truly break the chains that Coro and his people have bound Lorrd in."

"Let High Prophet Toparic come to the table with Coro Luxe then," Raxi sounded, standing tall and trying not to think about the thousands of people ready to storm the building she was in. "Talking has never hurt attempts at peace."

"The time for talk has long past."

"Why did I know he was going to say that," Siare grumbled.

"Because you're a grumpy old guy," Tabor'cee snarked.

"You're like eight years younger than me."

"Still older than me, hence 'old guy'."

"Tabor'cee, how's your kinetic communication?" Raxi turned to the young Twi'lek.

The teen's eyes bulged comically. "I mean, I can talk in it, I guess. Not fluent in any way. Why?"

"Translate for me," Raxi gestured to her spot in the middle of the catwalk.

Tabor'cee took a step back. "No, no, no, no, no. You don't want me doing that. What if I mess up and make them think I'm insulting their mothers or something?"

"Don't mess up," Siare offered.

"That's a load of help, Old Guy."

"I head the capitals this time."

"Sister," Zal looked to his sister, and the Jedi could feel encouragement and reinforcement surge from him to her.

Tabor'cee swallowed heavily and nodded. "Okay…just don't blame me if they start shooting at us or something."

"How many of you are willing to throw away your lives if another solution can be reached?" Raxi called out, using her limited Force abilities to make her words stretch out across the mass of people. "A solution that allows peace, not violence, to finally come to Lorrd."

As Raxi spoke, Tabor'cee began moving in an almost dance-like motion, her lekku twitching as she involuntarily also communicated her thoughts through her people's own unique form of talking. She paused every so often, trying to remember a movement or two, but kept up her otherwise non-stop gestures.

"We have a chance to change the history of Lorrd for the better. Where the beliefs of two different groups of people can be reconciled. Where hate, mistrust, bigotry, and the old ways are cast aside because the people of this planet want a new, brighter future. Will you let a minor few incite you into violence, or will you take a step back, think, and wonder just what an entire planet can do with the determination and dedication _both_ sides have towards this planet. With the exception of the few who have traveled to this planet, everyone here is of Lorrd. Regardless of your beliefs, that is one fact no one should ignore."

Senior Cleric Ordan scowled up at Raxi through his mask. "We need not listen to one so weak in the Force as yourself. One who allows the Jedi way to soften your mind and think peace is the true way of life. We have _lived_ true life, have known hardship beyond comparison, and know that peace is false!"

"Let your followers speak for themselves," Raxi countered, not looking away from the man. "Let High Prophet Toparic come here and prove that the Church of the Dark Side wants what is best for Lorrd. If peace is a lie, then why do you fear a conversation? If peace is a lie, won't any talks we have end in bloodshed? Arcae Luxe wants Lorrd to be One Sith, his brother wants Lorrd to be Jedi. Are those the only two options?"

"What are you saying?" Nelani hissed under her breath.

"Why can the planet not be both? Neutral in the Force and a haven for those who benefit from one way of living or the other."

At that Nelani touch a hand to her ear-piece, then paled. "No, call them off. Coro! We have things under control! Call them off!"

"Nelani?" The others turned towards her in worry.

"I don't care if they're in weapon's range! We're trying to solve this without anyone dying!"

"That doesn't sound good," Tabor'cee Vao gulped.

"Blast it!" Nelani turned her gaze to the sky, but addressed the others. "My husband heard the compound was surrounded and has sent his atmospheric strikers to reinforce our position. Says he won't take any chances with my safety."

"And the weapon's range stuff?"

"The strikers have already fired three anti-personnel cluster rockets at the crowd to create a safe-zone," Nelani said through clenched jaw. "The missiles will be here soon, and because they're dumb munitions, there is no override for them."

"What is it with you people using weapons just because you have them!" Siare groaned aloud.

"If those missiles hit…"

"They're not going to," Nelani replied firmly. She pressed her lips together, her eyes still searching the skies. "I'm not going to let it."

Wide-eyed, Tabor'cee shook her head in incomprehension. "But how…?"

Before her protective detail or any of the others could react, Nelani vaulted over the side of the building to land directly in front of the Senior Cleric. Immediately guns were raised on both sides. Nelani didn't even look at the Church of the Dark Side followers as she continued to stride through them.

"I'm here to save your lives. Decide if you want to shoot me after."

Zal Vao and the Miraluka Khola Kozdoru leaped off the walkway a second later, taking with them Raxi and Siare respectively.

"Not sure why you brought us," Siare said grimly, letting out a small click to get his bearings.

"Any bit of strength you give us will help," Khola said with reassuring smile he couldn't see. "Remember, surpass your own doubts, your own limitations, and you will be freed from this helplessness you believe yourself trapped in."

"We'll try our best." Raxi squared her shoulders and likewise tried to spot the incoming missiles.

"There! Three of them coming straight down the main street!" Tabor'cee yelled out from her perch.

"Got them." Nelani clenched her jaw and thrust out both hands towards the bright lights streaking across the night's sky.

The other Force-users quickly joined their strength and reached out their energy to the incoming warheads.

"Too much momentum to redirect safely," Zal said after a strained second.

"Plan B then," Nelani exhaled.

"We have a Plan B? Good to know," Siare remarked, doing his best to lend what meager support he could.

"We have to stop them before the cluster munitions are released," Khola voiced.

"That's going to be any second now if those missiles work like they should," Nelani grimaced.

"Blow the missiles," a new voice said.

The group nearly lost their concentration in abject shock when the Senior Cleric stepped forward and added his own strength to theirs.

"Senior Cleric?" Zal Vao asked.

"Some threats must be confronted head-on," Ordan said determinedly. "If we cannot redirect the missiles, we stop them in their tracks. Brother Vao, concentrate on the missile on the right. Sister Kozdoru, the missile on the left. I will handle the lead missile."

"And we'll concentrate on minimizing the fallout from the blast," Nelani agreed tersely.

"Missiles are starting to open!" Raxi warned.

"Now! Crush them!" Senior Cleric Ordan barked. "Use your anger at this treachery and swat them from the sky!"

A tense few seconds went by, the surrounding crowd in stunned silence as they realized what was happening.

"Peace is a lie," Zal Vao growled through gritted teeth. "There is only passion. Through passion I gain strength."

"Through strength I gain power. Through power, I gain victory," Senior Cleric Ordan chanted, his hands twisting the Force to his will.

"Through victory, my chains are broken," Siare whispered in a soft prayer, closing his blind eyes in silent entreaty with the Force.

"The Force," Khola breathed out heavily, her subdued aura flaring around her. "Shall free us!"

The incoming missiles crunched in perfectly timed unison, as if giant fists had suddenly gripped the center modules and squeezed the cylindrical bodies with tremendous strength. The pressure shorted the electronics within the missiles, setting off the charges in the cluster munitions. A fraction of a second later, all three missiles were ripped apart in a deafening blast that shook the windows of nearby buildings and set off alarms on nearby parked speeders. The explosion continued as the cluster of charges set each other off, until the three separate balls of flame had become a single giant blazing ball of white fire engulfing molten metal and super-heated gases.

Still streaking towards the crowd.

Nelani gave the dark side individuals an annoyed huff and exhaled. "There is no chaos, only harmony."

Nelani leaped into the air with a Force-assisted jump, launching herself directly at the incoming fireball.

"Go!" Raxi screamed, pouring all of her strength into her fellow Jedi.

Nelani thrust out both hands with a yell of her own. A small sonic-boom shattered already weakened windows as the sheer amount of Force energy that went into her counter sent the blazing ball of plasma and melted metal flying high into the sky. Without any rocket-thruster aiding it, the out of control inferno was buffeted by the Force winds and blew upwards without much resistance. After a few seconds, it was nearly indistinguishable from the stars.

Nelani landed amid the Church followers and promptly collapsed to her hands and knees, panting heavily. Her hands were badly burned, and the front of her tunic was likewise crisped. Her weak chuckle turned into a wheezing cough, and she rotated to lie down on her back. "There is no death, only the Force."

With Nelani very much incapable of fighting any further, a different type of silence descended on the crowd. Eyes darted over to where Senior Cleric Ordan was approaching with the other Force-sensitives.

"Don't be stupid, don't be stupid," Siare was muttering under his breath. Neither he nor Raxi were likewise capable of going up against a giant mob and Force-sensitive dark siders.

"Take her," Senior Cleric Ordan pointed to Nelani. "High Prophet Toparic will want to deal with her personally.

Siare groaned. "Why did he have to be stupid?"

Raxi was a bit more diplomatic. "Senior Cleric. Coro Luxe's people still have atmospheric strikers approaching. If you attempt to take Nelani, any blood spilled will be on _your_ hands since Coro can say that he was protecting his wife. She risked herself to save your followers from death. Call it a draw and lets have both sides return to their territories."

"Don't be stupid, don't be stupid," Siare continued to murmur.

"You are hardly in a position to negotiate, weak one," Ordan said disdainfully.

"So you're saying that High Prophet Toparic has given you authorization to start the civil war on Lorrd?" Raxi asked with arched eyebrow. "Do these people know that you're going to be throwing most of them into the meat-grinder while people like Arcae, you, and Toparic wait it out in your temple?"

Ordan's face was inscrutable behind his mask, but the slip of rage and annoyance that escaped his Force barriers was all the confirmation the Force-users in the area needed.

"Senior Cleric," Zal Vao spoke. As he did, his younger sister clambered down from the compound to join them in the crowd. "Let us withdraw for now. Nothing more can be accomplished while both sides are armed and ready to use their weapons."

"Remember your place and purpose, Brother Vao."

"My purpose is to the well-being of the Church and its followers, Senior Cleric," Zal replied in patient tones. "And my place is wherever the Force guides me."

Ordan opened his mouth to respond, but they saw his eyes dart towards the crowd surrounding them. Intensifying the matter were the atmospheric fliers employed by Coro's side buzzing the crowd with the roar of jet engines.

"Very well," Ordan said tersely. "But this is not over."

"No, I don't suppose it is," Zal looked to Raxi as his sister and Khola stepped to his side. "We have avoided war for now, but peace will have to come another day."

"Thank you for your help," Raxi breathed out.

"Thank you for putting your faith in the Church," Zal returned. "We'll be seeing each other shortly."

Raxi glanced around at the departing mob. "Hopefully with either same or better results."

"Indeed," Zal chuckled. "Remain true to yourself, Rali Xici, Siare Amah. The Force will be with those with the conviction to do with must be done."

 **LotJB[II]LotJB**

Cassa Solo, now the _Yun'So'ran_ 'Chosen of the Gods' to the _E'ron_ or 'Enlightened' Yuuzhan Vong, had her work cut out for her. She was thirteen going on fourteen, and now had to lead a race of people prone to getting themselves wiped out, against another faction of their people who'd made choices that would most likely get themselves wiped out. That is if they didn't wipe out Cassa's side first.

In the rest of the galaxy, most girls her age were more worried about whether a boy liked them or if their style was in fashion or not. Not learning the life-cycles of Yuuzhan Vong war-beasts or how organic creations were modified to accept metal tech to avoid the psychic waves capable of mind-controlling them. Or having the fate of an entire species hanging on to her every decision as she has to act like a representative of their pantheon.

So how does a young, overwhelmed teen deal with all the stresses?

"I am so not wearing that!" Cassa blurted, pointing at the living garment Jae'na was holding up.

"But it has the divine symbols of the major deities on it, and if you look closely, the vein and growth patterns here resemble the face of Yun-Yuuzhan himself..."

"Jae'na, I don't care if it has the divine symbol of a bantha and the pattern of a Hutt's backside on it! I'm the Chosen of the Yun'o, not an old High Priest with no sense of taste."

"Okay," Jae'na shrugged, as if saying 'you're the boss 'chosen of the gods' without actually saying it.

"I can read your mind you know," Cassa growled.

"Not my fault the Yun'o have granted you the power to read us lesser beings." Jae'na retorted, knowing her friend hated it when she played up her divine status.

"Well, lesser being, are you going to get me something priestly but less 'I'm wrapped in vines and bark'?" Cassa mock scowled at her.

"You already rejected the 'veins and tentacles' theme, the 'tempting serpent' was out, and so was the 'dirt and nature theme'" Jae'na said, looking through the wardrobe. The dozens of living outfits were provided by the various priestly sects who had returned to worshiping their respective gods thanks to the schism on the planet. Given that each outfit appeared to squirm and writhe as Jae'na touched them, it took a special dedication to wear any of them. But since Cassa was supposed to be a divinely-supported being, she had to wear the signs of office. Jae'na held up an outfit that looked like an overly long gown, and shook her head. Picked up one that appeared to be a mummy-like wrap, and let it fall immediately. "Hmmm...no...no...oh, how about the nearly-naked theme?"

"What does that one look like?" Cassa blinked, standing before a panel of mirrors and rotating villips.

Jae'na held the outfit up.

"Where's the rest of it?"

"Hence the theme, oh Great One."

"My parents will kill me if I ever wear something like that in public," Cassa blinked wildly. "I mean will it even cover...you know?"

"Its real name is 'Yun'o's embrace' and it supposed to conform to your body like a second skin, so just barely," Jae'na squinted, as if trying to imagine Cassa with it on. "Or so the priests assured me. They would never want to risk the wrath of the gods by...giving you too much exposure to the masses. Besides your parents aren't here, and if they do somehow pop up with their Yun-Shuno and Yun-Ne'shel given-powers then you can always just tell them the Yun'o made you do it."

"That didn't work when I accidentally shoved my brother after he ruined a puzzle I was working on and I told them that the 'Force made me do it'. But...sure, let me try it on."

Cassa accepted the twitching garments her friend gave her and stepped behind a screen to change. She grimaced slightly at the cool sensation of the garment conforming to her body, a trademark of all Yuuzhan Vong clothing, and then relaxed as it warmed up and formed a link with her. She used her VongForce to encourage the living material to cover a bit more flesh than it would have, and then stepped out.

The villip choir took the shape of her image from multiple angles so she didn't have to turn around, and the mirrors provided real-time color. Her eyebrows shot up as the living garment's pigment shifted to a lighter color to match her pale flesh. It really did look like a second skin on her. "Oh...wow."

"Good thing you are not going into battle," Jae'na's brow-ridge arched. "I think your underclothing covered more. Left more to the imagination too."

"I'm meeting the next generation of warriors for a morale-raising blessing thing, not enjoying a day on the beach with the latest in Yuuzhan Vong swimwear."

"If they are into humans, their morale will definitely be raised. And those are the sacred vestments of Yun-Q'aah, not swimwear. Yun-Q'aah, she who loves her people and dares to love beyond her station. Not my fault you look ugly wearing almost nothing."

"I need to get myself a new attendant, someone who actually respects me," Cassa grumbled, blushing in turn. "I guess I know why you called this 'nearly naked.'"

The door to the hut opened and Ganner Ra'ze entered with a casual smile that turned into an open-mouthed gape upon seeing the petite blonde teen. "Hey Cassa, Jae'na, the transport is heeeeere."

Cassa squeaked and promptly Force shoved Ganner out the door, gesturing it to close it after him. "Knock next time you big Dope!"

"I think you raised his morale too."

"Jae'na!"

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me," Cassa glared. "We'll use this as a backup if we can't find something better."

"Whatever the _So'ran_ commands."

"I swear, I'm going to get back at you over this."

"You two _still_ aren't done?" Ganner called out through the door. "You've had like two hours already!"

"Ganner, if you don't want me to use my divine influence and roast your brain, you'll shut up," Cassa shouted back. "Girls can't just throw on whatever like you guys do. And we definitely don't barge in to rooms if someone is changing inside!"

"Again, you had two hours! Not my fault you didn't lock the door!"

"Is too!"

"That doesn't make any sense! And like I said, the transport's ready. Just keep on that outfit you had on. I liked it!"

Cassa made a face, sticking her tongue out at the door.

A part of her procrastination was the fact that she really hated being the symbol of hope for these last remnants of Yuuzhan Vong Didn't want to personally bless warriors, give them the 'protection of the Yun'o,' knowing that they'd probably die in the coming fight with the Dark Witch's forces. And while dying, some would probably believe that they had failed her or the gods in some way and die with regret. That was not something she was ready for or wanted in any way. Being connected to the planet meant that she was able to feel their deaths just as clearly as if they were human or some other species from the galaxy.

But she also knew that it was very unlikely that they'd be able to win the war without a few casualties. She just didn't want those casualties to be anyone she had talked to or befriended. And given her nature of befriending anyone and everyone she came across, these large 'religious' gatherings helped her form bonds faster than she ever wanted.

"You like it so much, I'll take it off so you can wear it then!"

"Not an acolyte of Yun-Ne'shel. Wouldn't look good on me."

"Forgot you followed Yun-Rhysode." Cassa called back, grinning all the while.

Jae'na pulled out another outfit. "Here, perfect for a meeting with warriors. Modified Vonduun Skerr Kyrric. Grown just for your body-size, even comes with a cool horned helmet and boots. Throw this on and your mother's _Jeedai_ robes over it and it should work."

"Uh, no to the boots. Yuuzhan Vong may like pain and torture, but my feet didn't do anything to deserve it."

"As you say, _Yun'So'ran_."

"How you make that sound so deferential and insulting at the same time..." Cassa shook her head and changed outfits. She pulled on her mother's robes over the black-plated crab-armor, the spiked shoulder-pauldrons puffing up her shoulders and making her look bigger than she actually was.

"I live to serve the Chosen of the Gods," Jae'na replied, matching her previous tone as she handed Cassa a black, spiky helmet with two bull-like horns protruding from the sides.

Cassa pulled her hair back into a pony-tail and wrapped it atop her head before pulling the helmet on. Its organic tendrils immediately melded with the neck of the Vonduun crab armor, creating a seamless armored plate. The rest of the armor shrunk like shrink-wrap, conforming to her body and proving maximum protection at the same time.

"Neat," Cassa grinned at her reflection. The only part of her skin visible was her lower jaw, making her feel like some masked super-hero, her mom's Jedi robes acting like the cape. "Over-the-top ridiculous. I love it!"

"You have excellent taste, _Yun'So'ran_."

"I hate you."

"Woe is me, I must throw myself off the battlements to appease the gods," Jae'na replied tonelessly.

Cassa rolled her eyes, laughing at her friend's antics. "Gods, why have you cursed me so?"

Ganner knocked on the door again. "You aiming for fashionably late?"

"Coming," Cassa sighed with exaggerated loudness.

"You're riding by _rakamat_ , and you know how slow those can be in the tampasi."

"Who made him boring," Cassa glared at Jae'na.

"Not my fault he takes his job of being your official human servant so seriously."

"That's rich," Cassa snorted. She exited the room in full regalia. Ganner was waiting by the door of the hut and looked mildly disappointed by her change of wardrobe. She put a hand on her hip and canted her head. "I can still give that outfit to you."

"Why do the fates decree I serve a cruel goddess?" Ganner over-dramatically moaned. "Here I am trying to fulfill the role Supreme Leader Shaeri gave me and get you to the ceremonies on time and you mock me."

"Between you and Jae'na, it's a wonder the _Yun'o E'ron_ don't have an insane emissary of the gods."

Jae'na emerged from the room and looked to Ganner in understanding. "Sad is the day our last and greatest hope is deranged and she doesn't even realize it."

"You're fired," Cassa deadpanned.

"But who will fetch you nearly-naked outfits for the viewing pleasure of the _Yun'o E'ron_? Ganner?"

"Good point. You're re-hired. He's fired."

"Hey, I'm just as important. I do stuff too. Ask Jae'na."

"Sadly, _Yun'So'ran_ , he speaks truly."

"Find, he's re-hired too. I can't wait for the both of you to act your roles when we get to the ceremony?"

"Really?" Ganner blinked.

"You're right, never mind."

The trio piled onto the waiting _rakamat_ and it lumbered them towards their destination. Their origin had been a 'sacred grove' dedicated to Cassa, where a one-story yorik-coral shell-like complex had been constructed for her and her 'attendants'. Attendants being Ganner, Jae'na, and the survivors of Domain Rapuung. Their goal was another clearing a little ways away, normally used to train the latest generation of Yuuzhan Vong in their fight against the forces of Yun-Lingni.

Now, on the eve of the first organized offensive outside the protective shielding of the caldera, it was transformed into a ceremonial feast and religious festival. Cassa, being a divine emissary, was the guest of honor-meant to give the divine permission to launch an attack on forces protected by other members of the Yun'o.

To say she was more than a little scared was an understatement. She was no tactician of any type, had been reassured by Shaeri and Czalpak that they had come up with a plan based on her vague guidelines of not over-committing their forces. All Cassa could really do is hope that the Yun'o really did exist and was on her side. Barring that, she'd settle for the Force being on her side.

If she had neither, they were in a whole heap of trouble.

 **II-I-II-I-II**

Her Vonduun-clad arrival on the _rakamat_ , flanked by ceremonially-dressed warriors, priests, and intendants immediately caught the attention of the gathered crowd. It wasn't a large crowd, she didn't even have a thousand fully-trained warriors at her disposal. When the fighting had first broke out, those with experience had seized the chance to test themselves in combat once more and had been among the first to fall. Others fell prey to the mental manipulations of a planet strong in the Force, and had either died or now fought against the survivors.

There were younger warriors, many not yet tested in combat. These were the ones who were raised on the 'the Solos are avatars of the gods and are our saviors' diet and fully believed in Anakin and Tahiri just as much as the older generation had believed in Shimrra as the voice of the Yun'o.

No stress, right.

Cassa hid her nervousness, her fears and the tension in her shoulders as she effortlessly leaped down off the ten meter-tall siege-beast. The warriors nearest her clasped a single fist over their chest and bowed their head as she passed them. She called on her connection to Zonama Nen-Yim, letting an artificial breeze swirl around her, giving her an air of otherworldliness. She reached the center of the training grounds and held out her hands. The ground beneath her shift and rose, buoying her upwards until she was a couple meters taller that then surrounding area.

By then, all eyes were on her.

"Going to make this quick," Cassa said, removing her helmet and gazing out with green eyes at the people who would soon be fighting 'in her name'. "Tomorrow we being our attack on the forces of the Dark Witch, servant of the God of darkness. As you know this is not a battle that will be won in a single night, maybe not even for years. The trick to this battle is to survive it as best you can, so you can remain alive to fight another day. If you have to retreat, retreat. If you must throw your weapons down or pretend you are dead, do so. Yun-Harla will bless you for your quick mind, Yun-Yamka will see that you fight another day. This will not be the war your mothers and fathers fought. This will be a war where Yuuzhan Vong fight Yuuzhan Vong with the powers of the Yun'o at play. Be careful, guard each other's backs. And at the end of the day, should you fall, know that you will have a place at the side of the Yun'o. Now feast, celebrate, and have fun. Tomorrow, we go to war!"

 **LotJB[III]LotJB**

"Ever been to Nar Shadda?"

"Nope," Janek shook his head.

"I have," Jesmin voiced. "Dad took me there when I was twelve."

"Super, secret, commando training?" Janek glanced to the other teen.

"More or less," Jesmin nodded. "He was working an op, and I got to help Wraith Squadron take down this slaving ring that was preying on war-refugees. With most of the planet still a dust-bowl thanks to the Vong, there weren't any security forces there to take on the ring. Wraith Squadron and I changed things."

"You were only twelve!" Ryza said incredulously.

"My _verd'goten_ was coming up," Jesmin pointed out. "Dad wanted to make sure I knew enough to impress the Mandos. Told me that you could never be sure when you'd need a group of crack soldiers watching your six."

"Advice that definitely paid off," the Nautolan apprentice, Naeli Nayami, grinned.

"Yeah, thanks to my brother," Jesmin breathed out. She closed her eyes. "Damn it, I can't sense him at all!"

"Jesmin," Ryza started.

"You even suggest what you're about to say, and I'll say the same thing about _your_ brothers," Jesmin said darkly, eyes darting to the shorter teen.

"I can still feel them," Ryza reminded. "Normally, if you can't feel…"

"And the holo-vid of him in Hutt Space?" Jesmin retorted. "My mom took him to some of the most exotic Force-senstive sects out there. He's gone places and learned tricks I've never even heard of. If anyone can still be alive after spending two years as a Sith prisoner, it'll be my brother."

"Getting back on topic," Nate interrupted. "Anyone else been to Nar Shadda before?"

"My parents were from there," the red-haired TechForce user, Vekki volunteered, raising a hand. "My mom was pregnant with me when the Vong took over Hutt Space. Dad has a holo of what our house used to look like before they had to leave."

"Your parents Jedi too?" The Ysanna teen, San're asked.

Vekki shook her head. "They're both Force-sensitive, but not enough to get them in trouble. It's how they were able to escape the Vong. They used their skills with tech to barter passage on one of the last remaining ships off the moon."

"At least now we know where you get your obsession from," teased Janek.

"Yeah," Vekki grinned proudly. "They work for Tenandro Industries now and were the key techs behind their YVH-series droids.

"Jesmin, since you've been back there after the Yuuzhan Vong War, you'll know what to expect. The rest of you, not sure if you've seen pre-war holos of what the place looked like or heard stories about it, but it's not that anymore." Nate glanced over his shoulder at his young crew. "Back during the Yuuzhan Vong War, Nal Hutta and all of Hutt Space were one of the first places to completely fall. The Yuuzhan Vong blasted the cities to dust, and I mean—no building standing—blasted, and unleashed biologics that killed all life on both Nal Hutta and Nar Shadda. Then they Vongformed both the planet and moon and made it nearly impossible for anything we think of as civilization to return."

"What about after the war?" Ryza asked. "How come the Hutts didn't try to reclaim their homeworld?"

Nate chuckled, shaking his head and jerking a finger towards Janek. "You can blame his cousin for that."

"Which one?" Janek blinked.

"The guy who routed the Vong in Hutt Space," Nate elaborated.

"Anakin."

"Yeah. The way the Hutts tell it, when the Hutts were stuck on Tatooine, your cousin kind of forced them into taking a deal with the Hapans. The Hapans took nominal control over Hutt territory for almost a decade, but infighting and that whole Killik War mess made it impossible for them to administer the territory effectively. The Hutts tried to run things in the shadows, but that only made things worse. In effect, nothing got done. The Hutts only just started getting their act together about two years ago and have been pouring in resources to fix everything up. Only problem is that Nar Shadda, Nal Hutta, and most of their money-worlds were bombed into non-existence and Vongformed to uselessness. It was why their tabanna gas shipments going missing stuck out. They barely have enough of their refineries and mining operations up and running to fund what reconstruction projects they have going. They can't afford to miss any of their yields."

"If they can't afford to rebuild their planets, how can they afford a secret fleet?" Jesmin frowned.

"Exactly. They can't. But if they're not making a secret fleet with all that missing gas, then someone is."

"The One Sith?" Naeli asked.

"Easier nerfs to fry," Nate shook his head. "And the One Sith haven't been as active in this region as most of the galaxy. More than likely due to the fact that this sector is about as dead as you can get one."

"So why would Doran be here?" Jesmin asked.

"No idea," Nate shook his head. "There's quite literally nothing out here. Both Nal Hutta and Nar Shadda are still the same dirt-balls as before. The reconstruction projects started by the Hutts have all stalled because of those missing shipments."

"Do you think he was convinced to join the dark side?" Ryza voiced, earning a furious glare from Jesmin.

"Anything is possible," Nate shrugged. "I have a contact on Nar Shadda who can give us an update."

"Who's your contact?"

"Antarian Ranger who works with the Altisians. I doubt you've heard of her."

"Antarian Ranger?" Jesmin perked up. "My mom's a member, and I'm a quasi-member. Would have been officially inducted next year."

"You Sarkin-Tainers get around, don't you," Nate chuckled heartily. "My contact is Sacha Swiftbird. She's in charge of the Hutt swoop and speeder circuits. The new ones. Apparently the hundred-kilometer craters and rivers of magma created by the Vong bombardments are perfect for 'exciting' racing tracks. Swoop and speeder racing is about the only thing that _is_ going right for the Hutts at the moment."

"Sacha? I know her!" Jesmin grinned. "She made her living racing when she was younger. Being part of the racing circuit also let her travel to planets the Empire or New Republic didn't have access to."

"Well, glad I could arrange at least one reunion." Nate glanced down at the console in front of him. "Looks like we're coming out of hyperspace. Strap in for deceleration, this shuttle packs quite the kick."

"No inertial dampeners?" Janek asked.

"I have them, they're just worthless," Nate laughed, buckling himself in. "Reversion in five."

The seconds ticked by fast, and soon the battered freighter Nate had commandeered was emerging out into the Y'Toub system. They joined dozens of other similarly-looking ships on course for the homeworld of the Hutts. Darting amidst these ships were Hornet-class fighters and other underworldly-type starfighters, each performing spot-checks on the new arrivals.

" _Freighter Seven-Nine, you're on our scopes now. Transmit transit-fees to the Glorious Hutt Council or your ship will be impounded._ "

"Glorious Hutt Council peon, I represent the Altisian Tabanna Mining Coalition. My diplomatic credentials should still be good, transmitting them now. Check with your bosses."

" _Altisian representative, your code checks out._ "

"Thank you."

" _You need only pay three-quarters of the transit fee, fifty-thousand credits._ "

Nate shot the comm a dirty look. "Hold a thermal detonator to my head why don't you. Tell the Hutt's I'll pay twenty-five thousand."

"What are you doing?" Hissed Vekki, eyes wide in panic.

"Relax," Nate winked at her. "I've got it under control."

There were several long seconds of silence before the custom's officer replied. " _In light of the previous cooperation between our two peoples, the Glorious Hutt Council is willing to drop the transit fee to thirty-five thousand credits. I do suggest you take it._ "

"Thirty-five it is," Nate said amiably. "Please inform your bosses that they are wonderful human beings and that I look forward to future business with them."

" _You are cleared to travel about the system. Enjoy your stay in the Y'Toub system._ "

"Thirty-five thousand?!" Gasped Janek after Nate closed the comms. "That's robbery!"

"Like I said, they're desperate for cash," Nate shrugged. "And the only ones interested in coming out here are entrepreneurs with credits to blow. You'll even find a bunch of Hapan ex-pats out here who prefer the wildness of this place to where they're from."

Their ship looped out of the traffic and began to veer towards the desolate moon orbiting an equally desolate planet.

"It actually looks worse than when I was last here," Jesmin commented.

"It's gotten worse," Nate replied. "Slave-trade and black-marketing is at an all time high out here with no regulations out here. So long as the traders give the Hutts a cut, they can pretty much do whatever we want."

"Dad and I destroyed that slaving ring," Jesmin frowned.

"Got news for you, kid. The minute you guys pulled out, new slavers took the places of the ones you offed. Slavery is systemic in this part of the galaxy. Even your brother couldn't solve it when he was out here."

"He wouldn't just leave slaves to suffer like…"

"He didn't," Nate shook his head. "He blasted off Sleheyron with thousands of them and pissed off the Hutts big-time."

"And now he's back in Hutt space?" Naeli muttered, trying to make sense of it all.

"Hang on, receiving a comm from Nar Shadda."

A voice in Huttese promptly recited what had to be a memorized message. "[ _This is Nar Shadda Control, you are not cleared to land. Pay the landing and foreign-visitor's tax if you wish to come any closer. Failure to do so will result in our planetary defenses firing on you.]_ "

"You have to be kidding me," Ryza scoffed.

"Kids, welcome to Hutt Space." Nate laughed. "Where every official is corrupt and bargains are made at blaster-point. It might be a backwater right now, but I can guarantee you'll never be bored."

 **LotJB[IV]LotJB**

Ben Skywalker was settling into his new life as a Galactic Alliance fighter-pilot and recon-commando. He had over a dozen and a half starfighter sorties and five ground missions under his belt. With nothing better to do aboard the _Admiral Ackbar_ , he had thrown himself fully into the military training the various soldiers and pilots onboard had been willing to give him. He caught on fast, was now quite proficient in several hand-to-hand combat maneuvers and was an ace fighter-pilot thrice over.

That's not to say everything was rosy and going smoothly. When facing Force-sensitive enemies, casualties were practically a given. Red Squadron in particular, had lost eight fighters and five pilots in that time period. In fact, Red and Blue Squadrons had to be merged due to the casualties both had taken. Even his ground-recon force had taken its fair share of losses, with sixty-percent casualties taken spread across those same five missions. It was hard to sneak up on dark Jedi after all.

At the same time, the taskforce the _Ackbar_ belonged to had dealt its fair share of torment to the One Sith and their allies. Planets loyal to the One Sith had felt the consequences of their action whenever the taskforce showed up. The One Sith, not quite capable of fielding Palpatine-era fleet-levels, were finding that the very lightning-quick raids that had netted them vast swaths of territory were also proving to be their greatest weakness. Just as they had marauded across lighter-defended Galactic Alliance territories wreaking havoc and destroying military installations, Admiral Nek Bwua'tu was employing those very tactics against them. Darting back and forth throughout the Colonies and Inner Rim regions, the taskforce had successfully disrupted One Sith operations in several sectors.

But even as his squad celebrated their latest victory, Ben didn't feel satisfied at all. A part of him knew that no amount of One Sith bodies would bring back his friends. At the same time, the One Sith and those that supported them couldn't pay enough. Every mission, however, left him feeling just as empty as before. And he didn't know what he needed to do to fill that void. While the others drank, played cards, and enjoyed a moment of respite from the war, Ben sat in a corner of the lounge and flipped through the HoloNet. He let the cool burn of his drink go down his throat as he leaned back in his chair.

Most of the galactic-level news channels were heavily biased towards one side or the other and were more propaganda than factual. There still were a few worth watching, their headquarters on mobile broadcasting platforms so that governments couldn't censor or shut them down too easily. But just as he was about to change the channel from the latest news broadcast, something caught his attention.

" _We're now going to the Galactic Star's field-correspondent Madhi Vaandt on Jagga Two in the Venjagga System, Colonies._ _Madhi, I hear that the Galactic Alliance recently launched an attack on the world_."

" _That's correct Radus. Just over five galactic standard hours ago a Galactic Alliance taskforce from Fleet Group Five conducted a devastating raid on this world. As one of the One Sith's primary missile-producing worlds, Jagga Two seemed to be an obvious target for a GA counter-attack. The brunt of the attack lasted most the entire day, with air-raid sirens blaring constantly. I was actually here covering the forced labor-camps and slavery situation on the ground when the attack unfolded."_

" _Can you tell the viewers what you saw?"_

" _It was…brutal. I'll tell you Radus, I've been to some of the worst battlefields out there. The Yuuzhan Vong War, the Killik Wars, the Tion Civil War, but this single raid is pretty up there in terms of raw devastation. Many of the factories and military installations abutted labor-camps, so when the GA starfighters started their bombing runs, the casualties were immense."_

" _Just what sort of people were in these labor camps?"_

" _It varied. Many of them were locals who objected to their government's decision to side with the One Sith. I know of at least two camps that had GA prisoners-of-war. There were also non-humans civilians on other One Sith worlds who had been shipped out here to create the very weapons the One Sith are using against the GA. All told, there were probably close to ten to fifteen million indentured laborers of some kind working the factories here._ "

" _And the casualties?_ "

" _Numbers are still coming in, but local government officials are estimating that sixty to seventy-five percent of this workforce was killed off in the attack. Several of the larger hospitals on this planet were also hit, making casualty counts very difficult at the moment. Making matters harder is that when the munitions plants were hit, the explosions vaporized much of the surrounding areas. Some bodies might never be found. I have with me the head of relief efforts in the hardest hit areas, Deputy Director Cao'tal. Deputy Director, thank you for meeting with me. Can I have your take on this latest counter-strike by GA forces?"_

" _The Galactic Alliance wonders why so many worlds decided to join the One Sith, well, look at the scene behind me. The rubble piles all around belonged to a school that was across the way from an electronics-manufacturing facility. It was for the children of the workers of that facility and had nothing to do with this war effort. A missile fired by a GA fighter fell short of its target by a couple dozen meters and completely obliterated it. My people are still pulling the bodies of children out from under that mess. But what do you expect from the GA? They may have a giant fleet and bases on more systems than I can name, but when it comes to the well-being of planets that aren't big donors to their cause, they could care less about the people. When the Killik War was over, the budget cuts and drawdown of GA military assets greatly affected small worlds like this one. If it wasn't for the Third Imperium accepting a new contract from us, Jagga Two would have been in dire straits. But now the Galactic Alliance bullies and their Jedi dogs have to ruin the lives of people just trying to make a living. I don't understand what we ever did to them. Certainly nothing that warrants the deaths they inflicted on us today."_

" _Thank you again, Deputy Director. He mentioned the deaths today, and not counting the slave-labor force, the local government is quoted as saying that as many as two million people were killed in the attack. Whether it was from the direct attacks or the raging fires that were sparked by them, the civilian population and slave-labor force of Jagga Two paid the price today. Which once again raises the question, in this war, who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? This is Madhi Vandt with the Galactic Star news, signing off._ "

Anything that remotely resembled a good feeling vanished. Ben swallowed heavily and replayed the news broadcast, focusing on the neighborhood behind the news anchor. And then he felt downright sick. He could see several familiar landmarks identifying the site as one of several he had hit that day. A munitions factory in the middle of a warehouse district, a plump target that had exploded spectacularly when his missile had hit it. He had gone in low in that attack run, evading the turbolaser towers all around the city. And looking at the news broadcast, he recognized the gleaming apartment towers and curved-shape highrise in the background.

He knew his missile had hit its target. Had seen it enter the building and felt the resulting explosion buoy his fighter upwards. He had congratulated himself and Kani after the fact, downing one more One Sith war-asset and preventing the Red Blades from making missiles any time soon.

But the more he thought about it, the more the sickening feeling receded. It was war, people died. Jagga Two should never have allied with the One Sith in the first place. Should never have bowed down to a bunch of murdering lunatics.

He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep until he was shaken awake and was greeted by the concerned looks of Bastian and Jessika. He was also painfully aware of a splitting headache, and just groaned, waving them off.

"Skywalker, you okay?"

"Not so loud," Ben grumbled, holding his head. He could feel the results of his 'partying' on an empty stomach, and felt said contents of that empty stomach want to make its way back up."Ugh."

Jessika glanced over to the holonet display, at the frozen scene of devastation. "That Jagga Two?"

"Yeah." Ben confirmed tonelessly, fighting back the nausea. He glanced at the nearby clock, it had only been a couple of hours since he had fallen asleep.

Looking back at the display, at the devastation and the bodies being removed from the rubble, he found himself lacking any empathy whatsoever. He wondered why he no longer felt horrified that one of his missiles had been responsible for destroying a school. But a big part of him didn't want to care. It was the One Sith's fault for storing their munitions near civilian areas. Their fault that all those slaves and civilians suffered because the One Sith were cowardly enough to use them as living shields. Like he had learned at the onset, it was war, people died. The Force didn't care if they were fully grown or kids, cruel individuals or kind. Everyone died sometime, and his missile just sped a few along. In the end, all he felt was a soothing numbness. He had done his part to hurt the One Sith war-effort and that was all that mattered.

"You okay?" Bastian repeated softly.

"Killer headache, but I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Ben let the news report play on and taking another long drink from his cup. The burning feeling down his throat felt good, grounded him. He had no reason to feel bad about blowing up his targets. They were the enemy, that was all that mattered.

Both Bastian and Jessika exchanged meaningful glances.

"Alright, Skywalker. On your feet."

"What?" Ben stammered as Bastian took one arm and Jessika the other. They both 'helped' him into a standing position that instantly had his alcohol-buzzed mind spinning. "Whoa."

"How much did you have to drink last night?"

Ben, still gripping his cup, glanced down at it. "Three…no wait…five of these. Seven I think. Six sounds right."

"So…too much?" Jessika raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Ben furrowed his forehead as he tried to piece together what she had just asked, then frowned at his cup. "Not enough I think."

"Anything to eat?"

"Wasn't hungry."

"Hence your mother of all headaches," Bastian deadpanned.

"First time for everything," Ben grumped, squeezing his eyes shut. Despite the dim lighting of the now empty lounge, the glow from the HoloNet projector felt like hotpokers were being jabbed into his retinas. He followed the HoloNet report aurally and suddenly found it extremely funny.

"Ben?"

"It's hilarious, isn't it?" Ben croaked. "They're so angry that we bombed and killed their people, but they probably don't even realize that some of the bombs we used came from their planet. Don't even realize that the things that keep them employed are blowing up other families all over the galaxy." Ben made a whistling noise imitating a bomb flying through the atmosphere. Gripping his own head immediately after as if the bomb had detonated in it at his whistling. "Boom. Some other kids get blown up. But when it happens to them they act so indig…ind…mad."

"Definitely too much to drink." The two older pilots looking a bit worried.

"I should have really done this earlier," Ben absently waved one of his hands in front of his face. He laughed once more. "Everything seems so much clearer. Those Red Blade wavers on Jagga Two brought it on themselves. They rebuild that factory, I'd blow it up again. Heck, I'd blow up their construction crews since it's clear they haven't learned their lesson."

"Good thing the good stuff is locked up when we're on missions," Jessika sighed, shaking her head.

"Knew it was only a matter of time," Bastian shrugged sympathetically, the both of them supporting Ben out of the room.

"We're going to get them all, right?" Ben breathed out, his eyes squeezed shut. "All the Red Blades. Not going to let them hurt anyone else again. Gonna see our friends and family again when it's finally our turn. Tell 'em we got 'em justice. Jedi Order's not gonna get caught off-guard again. When I'm Grandmaster, I'm going to make them a kriffin' army. Army of the Light Side."

"Thought you gave up being a Jedi," Bastian asked curiously, struggling as Ben's well-built form swayed again.

"Gave up on the Force," Ben slurred. "Still have a few friends the Force hasn't killed off yet. They stay alive…Imma…Imma gonna…whoa, did we just enter hyperspace?"

"No, we're still where we stopped."

"Great…where are we going?"

"Rec-room," Jessika answered, grunting as he leaned towards her.

"Rec-room?"

"We need you slightly less drunk for the next lesson."

"Can't you just let me shleep it off? Read yoursh 'pose to do that."

"You'll thank us later," Bastian used his elbow to activate the door-panel.

The two then hauled the inebriated teen into the showers.

"What?" Ben blinked blearily.

"We're really, really sorry about this, man." Bastian shook his head.

"Not really," Jessika snapped a brief picture with her holo-comm device.

"Trying to be nice to the kid." They both stepped away.

"What…what's going…aaaaaaahhhhh!" Ben shrieked as the four shower heads surrounding him blasted him with icy cold water. "Force-damned, monkey-lizard kriffing, cold-hearted nerf-brains!"

"Better?" Bastian held out a towel.

"No," Ben said petulantly, grabbing it from Bastian. "Why'd you have to do that?"

"As fun as it is getting wasted, alcohol is only a temporary fix," Jessika scolded. "And so is blowing things up."

"Rather permanent to the guys we blow up," Ben said mulishly, trying to dry his hair.

"Yeah, but what if one of those guys we blow up has an angsty teenage kid who vows revenge against the guy who blew up his dad. So to get revenge he blows up things important to the guy who blew up his dad."

"You lost me," Ben mumbled to Bastian. He sat down on a nearby bench and pulled off his soaked shirt.

"The point is, killing people, even if they are our enemy, might make more problems in the long run," Jessika cut in.

"We're killing Red Blades so they don't hurt anyone else. I don't see the problem in that. Besides, didn't they kill your families too?"

"They did," Bastian rubbed at his face. "Look, Skywalker. You're younger than I am but have this look I've seen on veteran pilots and soldiers. Even on our last few missions, you weren't reckless, but you were brutal when taking out your targets. You stopped caring about death, haven't you? Don't care if it gets to you, don't care who you're dealing it to."

"So what?"

Again Jessika and Bastian exchanged looks.

"Will you two stop doing that?"

"You're grounded," Bastian said regretfully.

"What? You can't do that! I need to be out there taking down those sons of Sithspawn!"

"And no more force-recon missions either," Jessika added. "I'll talk to Corporal Lekauf about that."

"Why!" Ben yelled, exploding back to his feet, then rocking back as his head throbbed annoyingly.

"Don't want someone with a death-wish on my squad. Don't want a murderer as a wingman," Bastian answered simply.

"Who's the murderer? We kill people all the time as part of our job! You can't justify one killing more than the other if they both save more lives."

"You might be drunk, Ben. But we both know you were serious about killing those construction crews if they try to rebuild that factory. People who will just be going about their jobs trying to earn a living for their families," Jessika said firmly. "We also know that you have a very unhealthy hard-on for those Red Blades and that your obsession with revenge just gets more intense every time you go out. You need a break, a breather to get a different perspective on things."

"But I…I have to be out there," Ben managed hoarsely. "I _need_ it. Please…killing the Red Blades…it's the only thing that keeps me going now."

"We know," Bastian said sympathetically. "It's why we're grounding you. Find yourself again, Skywalker. Find out who you want to be when this war finally ends."

"The Jedi always have warnings about the dark side," Jessika added. "About Jedi who go off the deep end and lose themselves in their obsessions. Thing is, you don't have to be a Jedi to do that. Plenty of regular grunts and flyboys follow that path all the same. The only thing it gets you is more heartache in the long run."

"What would you know about that," Ben muttered. He sat back on the bench, hanging his head.

"Had an uncle that saw too much during the Vong War," Jessika murmured, sitting down next to Ben and taking one of his hands. "When he heard Solo was taking a force against impossible odds to face off against the Killiks, he volunteered. They were desperate for bodies, for ships then. Even when my uncle had been medically discharged and treated for Post-Traumatic Stress, he felt that he had to go back . Owed it to all his friends and squadmates he outlived. He died the second engagement. Family got a personal condolence letter from Solo, said my uncle died making the galaxy safer for others. Later on, after talking with a few other pilots who were there, we learned that my uncle snapped from the pressure of the battle. Took out two friendlies before his own wingmate had to take him out."

"I wouldn't do that."

"Can you even say why we're really fighting anymore, Skywalker?" Bastian asked softly. "We're fighting for the civilians, for the people who can't protect themselves, for peace. Not for personal vendettas. To kill everyone who disagrees with the GA and the Jedi."

Ben feel silent, his eyes squeezed close in silent distress.

"Take some time off," Jessika repeated softly, patting his arm. "I…I heard from command that the Mandos left Ossus…maybe…maybe you can find some closure there."

 **LotJB[V]LotJB**

Myri Antilles' eyes flew wide open the moment she regained consciousness. Her heart was hammering kilometers a second. How long had she been out? Had she missed the executions completely? Did she fail everyone she…

"Easy, easy."

Myri felt the very familiar sensation of the Force coursing through her body and lowering her adrenaline and other flight-or-fight indicators. Her eyes focused on the reddish-brown-haired Jedi at her bedside. "Jedi Horn?"

"Yes," Jysella nodded her head. "Try to stay still, reversing radiation damage is not exactly fun or easy."

"Sorry," Myri swallowed. She glanced around the small room and saw that they were the only occupants. From the sounds of crashing waves outside the walls, she deduced that she was either on the coast or on an island. "The operative I was with, Trey Courser…how…is he alive?"

"He was taken to Coronet Central Hospital on the first day for an immediate bacta dip, still there."

"'First day'? How long was I out?"

"We've kept you sedated for three day…"

"Three days!?" Myri jerked back into a seated position. "Jedi Horn, the One Sith are going to kill…"

"I know," Jysella said with an annoying sereneness, she sat back and folded her hands in her lap. "We have two more days until Darth Moderus broadcasts their execution throughout the galaxy. He's even going to be there to personally watch, or maybe even kill them."

"What's the super-Jedi plan to save the day?"

"There is none."

Myri swung her legs out of the bed, fighting a wave of nausea as she did. "What do you mean 'there is none'? Our parents are going to be executed and you're going to do nothing about it?"

"Antilles, we are eight Jedi apprentices, two Knights, and a banged up tour-guide. How do you think we'll be able to take on the entire Corellian One Sith armed forces?"

"Before she was captured, mom passed to me the cipher the CCCP was using for their code-clearances. We have disguises, we have thousands of people on this planet who don't want the One Sith here anymore than you do. We win by fighting smart," Myri rattled off in retort. "I was trying to piece together a plan, but was running into a problem coming up with ways to deceive Force-sensitive guards. But with you Green Jedi here, we can…"

Jysella held up a hand to stall Myri's thought processes. "There is no ' _we'_ here, Antilles. Those eight apprentices I told you about? All of them are teenagers. I won't let you drag them into a fight where they'll get slaughtered after the first few seconds of combat with a real saberist. Your family got themselves into the mess. Your sister sided with the ones that killed the friends and family of those apprentices. You really expect them to risk their necks for a murderer?"

"You're just going to sit back and let your mom die? Let my family die?"

"Yes," Jysella said darkly. "As cold as it sounds, this media circus gives us an opportunity. While security will be high all over the base, places all across Corellia will be vulnerable. My people are going to launch a coordinated, multi-target strike and avenge my mom and your parents."

"So what? Myri practically yelled, flapping her arms in disbelief. "They kill someone, you kill someone, they kill someone, you kill someone. Again and again and again! What does that accomplish besides a whole lot of dead bodies and broken people?"

"Do things your way, we get killed, and are no help to anyone."

"Not with my plan."

"No plan is foolproof. There will be too many One Sith on base, fully-trained dark Jedi Masters and Knights."

"As long as we're not plotting to hurt them, it should be okay, right?"

"Have you met any of the apprentices whose lives you are so eagerly willing to risk? Have you watched them grow up from knee-high little children to the young adults they are today? Do you know their favorite foods, their hobbies, their favorite holo-vid? Do you know _anything_ about the people you're wanting to volunteer to save _your_ family. Are you really that selfish and blind? Apprentice Caldan is a botanist, had a green-house at the Praxeum that fighter-pilots under your sister bombed to ash. Apprentice Zai sees in fractals, you should see the beautiful paintings and drawings he made. They used to line the entry-way of the Praxeum, not sure if they're still there. Apprentice Rolf lost both his older brother and sister when the Praxeum fell. By the way, he's only seven but is a Force and intellectual savant. You want these _kids_ to fight and die for you?"

"Fine, not the kids," Myri persisted. "But you and that other Knight."

"Natua Wan."

"Her."

"She's Falleen and would stand out on a human-dominant One Sith base. You're grasping at vapor, Antilles. It doesn't matter how good your plan is, you…"

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You're an able-bodied, combat-oriented Jedi Knight with a stake in this. Your specialty is mind-kriffing. You could get me and a team of commandos in and…"

There was a knock on the doorframe and both young women looked over to see a young teen standing in the doorway. The thirteen year-old son of Myn Donos and Gara Petothel—now Kirney Slane—was looking at the two of them hesitantly.

"Bradley," Jysella inclined her head. "Were we being loud? I apologize."

"Not that," Bradley shook his head. "New HoloNet news-flash. The execution is taking place tomorrow night as an added security measure. Mom and dad said that if you Jedi are going to do something, you should do it fast. You have less than a day and a half to get it done."

Both glanced to Jysella, who's face remained as blank as stone.

"Jedi Horn…please," Myri voiced softly.

"Bradley," Jysella spoke after several long seconds ticked by.

"Yes?"

"Tell Jedi Knight Wan to carry out the wave of attacks as planned. If your parents have contact with the GA sympathizers, have them relay to the rebel cells that now is the time to act as well. I want all One Sith assets in Coronet in flames."

"What about you?"

"I'll be going with Operator Antilles here on a suicide mission," Jysella answered blankly. "Jedi Knight Wan knows what to do if I don't return."

"Thank you," Myri breathed out, closing her eyes as Bradley took off.

"I don't want your thanks," Jysella said woodenly. "This plan of yours better work. You think the purge going on in the streets is bad now? What do you think will happen when we openly challenge Darth Moderus on the galactic HoloNet? Hundreds of thousands are going to suffer because you want to rescue four people."

"Those hundreds of thousands will rise up once they see that Moderus _can_ be challenged," Myri replied. "You know what Corellians are like. Remind them who they are with a kick in the pants and they'll help us run the Diktat and the Red Blades off the planet before you know it."

"I think I prefer your sister's way of thinking."

"What?"

"You are _way_ too optimistic."

"And you're _way_ too serious. When was the last time you lightened up?"

"Right before my brother died."

"See what I mean!"

"You said you had a plan?"

"Bare minimum of one. You know, the more complicated the more your Jedi-senses get all tingly."

"This is getting better all the time."

"That's the attitude."

"I was being sarcastic."

"I was too."

"This…is going to be a long day and a half."

 **LotJB[Chapter End]LotJB  
A/N: **Tentative update for the Legacy sides sometime next month, it all depends on if my muse holds up


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **LotJB[I]LotJB**

Ben Skywalker wasn't quite sure what to expect when the _Dawn_ dropped out of hyperspace. Closed off from the Force, numb from the deaths he had felt, his emotions remained tightly locked up behind his stony face. His conscience still rebelled at his course of action, wondering why he was setting himself up for more pain and heartache. But at the same time, another part of him needed to see the Praxeum he had grown up in. Needed to stand upon Ossus, possibility for the final time.

When word had gotten out that the Mandalorians had left Ossus, Ben had used the 'mandatory' leave his superiors had given him and promptly taken off in his personal freighter. He knew better than to think that after four months, he'd find anyone alive, that the Mandalorians would have shown mercy in any way. But he also knew that he just _had_ to be on Ossus, despite all the danger. It was almost as if the Force was calling him there despite the fact that he hadn't consciously tapped into a single iota of its mystical energies since the One Sith reveal.

The freighter emerged from hyperspace, the spinning world of Ossus filling the cockpit window. At one time, before the shapers had worked their magic, Ossus had been a dead world devoid of life. Even after the shapers had their way, only the region immediately around the Praxeum had shown any signs of life. Trees, animals, it had been a patch of green, an oasis, on an otherwise gray-brown barren world.

But now, even that patch of green was gone. Whatever fires had burned were long extinguished, the aftermath a charred expanse of land visible even from high orbit. Ben's hands tightened around the steering column, a surge of rage and helpless despair flashing through him.

Hoping beyond hope, he toggled the _Dawn's_ scanners, searching for anything living in the immediate area of the Praxeum. Negative results. He scanned again, ignoring the flashing red indicator that told him the system was truly dead once more. There were no other ships, no other movement. Ossus was as it had been in millennia past.

As the planet grew nearer, Ben felt an increasingly tightening sensation in his chest. Did he truly want to see the Praxeum in its current state, forever replacing his memory of it as it had once been? The speed of his ship made his choice for him, passing through the atmosphere with alacrity as he sat numb in the pilot's chair. Before he knew it, the charred ruins of the once pristine white curves of the Praxeum came into view.

He fought to keep his expression wooden even as his eyes filled with tears.

His home, where countless childhood memories had been formed, was truly no more.

He reflexively guided the ship over what had once been the Praxeum's landing pad and hovered over the crater that now existed, unable to equate the twisted mass of metal and stone with the building he had spent much of his youth in. Staring for several long minutes, he finally managed to shake himself and move the _Dawn_ to a flattened patch of glassed ground.

As if on autopilot himself, he powered down the ship and stepped out of the airlock. Even the air no longer smelled of the trees and grass that had surrounded the beautiful structure. Instead, his nose was assailed by the scent of burnt flesh and melted metal. Or perhaps it was just his imagination. Looking out upon the scene, he could almost see the Praxeum as it was bombarded into ashes. There was no wind, the once gentle sunlight unyieldingly harsh against the ravaged landscape. The air was still and acrid, burned at the back of his throat, but he didn't care. He swallowed the bitter feelings that rose up and let the melted rocky soil crunch beneath his booted feet.

If he tried, really tried, he could recreate the path to the Praxeum in his mind. One of the building's spiring arches had fallen and broken up in several pieces along the path. Sparking wires and giant pieces of duracrete and metal turned the walkway into an obstacle course.

He crawled and climbed his way around the debris, through the living nightmare, the mid-day sun beating down on everything with merciless heat. When he reached the remains of the front stairwell, Ben took a moment to peel off his shirt and used it to wipe his sweat-covered face. He then slung his shirt over his shoulder and climbed over the last piece of fallen duracrete in his path.

Another step forward, and even though he had cut himself off from the Force, a vision flashed through his mind from the residual impression left behind by all the Jedi who died. When the vision was over, he promptly threw up on the side of the pathway, tears now streaming freely down his face. His only consolation was that Kani hadn't even felt the killing blow. He glanced up at the stairway, heart pounding in helpless distress.

At the top of stairs was a blackened impression left on the charred stone. An impression that had once been his childhood best friend. He climbed the four steps to her form, face a mask of anguish. Reaching the ashen corpse, he knelt down and let out a sob.

"Kani," he managed hoarsely, half reaching out to where her head was. He knew it was her without a doubt. The sun-shaped Kasha gem from the necklace he had given her on her seventeenth birthday had survived the intense flames that had gutted the Praxeum and sat amid the human-shaped pile of ashes before him. "Kani…I'm so sorry…so sorry."

He reached out a shaky hand, letting a single finger rest on the gemstone. Like the Praxeum in its current state, a part of his mind still refused to equate this ashen corpse with the vibrant and smart girl who had been his childhood best friend. It just wasn't possible. And to be robbed of even one last look at her face made it too cruel. But the gemstone, the vision he had received, it was undeniable. His best friend was truly dead. Dead and burned beyond all recognition so that he couldn't even give her a farewell kiss.

Slowly he stood, his gaze never leaving the blackened skeleton. He couldn't leave her like this, exposed to the harsh Ossus elements. Using his shirt, he reverently gathered Kani's remains into it and carried her down the steps of the Praxeum for the final time.

He picked up a piece of twisted durasteel and began to dig in the blackened ground. Emotions raged through him with every thrust of his makeshift shovel, the realization that he was digging his best friend's grave sinking in and causing the tears to flow once more. His torso glistened with sweat as he worked tirelessly, not caring at all that his makeshift shovel was cutting into his hands. Images of his time with Kani continued to flash through his mind, numbing that pain. Her smile, her laughter, the way she rolled her eyes when he did something particularly numb-skulled. He dug with manic fervor, his mouth twisted in an anguished smile as past and present made his heart pound painfully in his chest.

Eventually, Ben found himself standing in a small pit a few meters deep. The sun had taken a more angled position in the sky, but the air was no less acrid and warm. Standing in the pit, he contemplated what it would be like to join Kani in the grave he had just made. A maddening, fleeting thought that caused him to actually smile and shake his head. He knew what Kani would say to him if he did something like that. But the idea was attractive. No more worries, cares, he could be with his best friend once more. With a heavy heart, he hoisted himself out of the pit and walked back to where his shirt with Kani's remains sat. Silently, tears leaving reddened eyes as his cut-up hands stained his shirt, Ben walked the bundle over and lowered it into the pit.

"Goodbye," he whispered hoarsely, digging his bloodied hands into the soil to fill up the grave. The coarse ground grated at the raw skin on his hands and he welcomed the pained distraction. When the grave was full once more, Ben unhooked his lightsaber. In a slab of duracrete by the hole, he carved Kani's name. Then he made a niche in the stone, and before it cooled, he set his lightsaber into it. The rock cooled around his weapon, and Ben took a step back.

There was some sort of finality to it all, something that left Ben feeling empty inside. He no longer felt the Force, no longer had his best friend, and now he was leaving the Jedi stuff behind as well. It was something that just had to be.

On a whim, he decided to take one last walk of the Praxeum's grounds, feeling as though he was in a dream as he took in the once familiar sights around him. Passing over the threshold of what had once been the Praxeum's entryway, his reddened eyes just scanned his surroundings with an almost apathetic detachment. It hurt, it didn't hurt. He didn't care, he cared. His heart thumped, stomach twisted, but he forced himself to walk among the charred corpse of the Praxeum. Barely anything remained of the shell-like building that had stood for nearly a decade and a half. The Mandalorians had been thorough. He saw more corpses lying about, and passed them with closed eyes. Surreal was a word that came to mind as he navigated the ruins. He remembered playing, exploring, laughing with his friends. Remembered the lessons, the meals, the achievements and failures, the discoveries and delights. But it was as if that had been another life time, another Ben.

Entering one of the more intact areas of the Praxeum, Ben wandered from room to room, not sure what he was looking for. He passed by the quarters of several of his classmates, some had died right in the doorway, their blackened bodies lying where they had fallen.

One room hadn't been as badly burned as the rest of the Praxeum, for better or worse. He didn't know what to feel upon seeing Cappricia and Loli's still, desiccated forms sprawled out on the ground in dried pools of their own blood. He wondered if he was beyond feeling at that point as he stepped back away from the threshold of the room and into the corridor. His mind was numb, his motions mechanical. How much could he take?

He had killed countless One Sith and their supports. Had ensured that countless others would be safe from their aggression. But at the same time, it hadn't made one difference at all. He knew that the past couldn't be changed, that nothing would bring back Kani, Loli, Cappricia and all the others, but seeing it just twisted another dagger in his chest. He had been foolish to think that his campaign for vengeance would make himself feel better. That he would suddenly find everyone happy and as they once more, congratulating him on making the galaxy a better place. The reality of it all weighed down heavily on his shoulders. He had killed all those One Sith, all those Red Blade wavers, and for what?

His wandering tour of the shattered shell of the Praxeum took him into the scorched and pitted courtyard. A place he had spent many a day training, playing, eating with the others. Now much of it looked like some dormant volcano caldera, the result of a direct hit from an orbital strike.

Ben was about to turn away and head back to his ship when a flickering along what was left of the cracked cobblestone pathway caught his eyes. He blinked once, then gasped in surprise.

Looking alive, whole, albeit wearing a sad smile, Kani Asari was standing in the walkway gazing at him with wet eyes.

"Kani?" He swallowed hoarsely.

"Hey, Ben," Kani answered, almost apologetically.

"Kani!" Ben got out in a rush. He stumbled forward, vaulting over a fallen metal beam and skidding to a halt in front of her. "Stars! Kani! You're…you're…"

"Dead," Kani whispered, averting her gaze. "At least in this timeline…and a majority of the others I've seen…And this is the most probable timeline…At least you're alive in this one, though it probably isn't much comfort and…"

"What? What are you saying? You're right here!" Ben reached out with his hand and it came into contact with Kani's shoulder. "You're right here, see? Not Dead. Here, talking to me."

"Flow-walk," Kani looked pained as she said it, shaking her head as grief appeared on her features. "Oh Force, this was a bad idea…I'm so sorry, Ben…

"Flow-walk?" Ben managed, taking a step back, heart sinking.

"Master Solo's been teaching me how to move forward into the futures with it." Kani breathed out, she glanced about the ruined courtyard. "I took a small walk…right before the Mandos did all this…"

"Oh," Ben took another step back.

Kani looked to him, purple eyes shining with tears. "I'm sorry, Ben…so sorry. I…I didn't think it through…I just…I just wanted to say goodbye…just in case…"

"What are you apologizing for?" Ben protested, shaking his head at the sight of her tears. Though he thought he couldn't cry any more, fresh tears filled his eyes. "I should have been here, with you. Best friends do that…right?"

"Oh Ben," Kani sobbed softly. "It's not your fault."

"You died," Ben gasped out, squeezing his eyes shut, surprised that he could still cry, still hurt. "I should have been here. Should have done something…"

Kani stepped forward and raised a hand, cupping his face with the utmost care. Now that he knew she truly wasn't in front of him, he realized that the warmth of her hand was different than flesh-and-blood. "Don't beat yourself up, Ben. Don't put your life on hold because of me. I would never want that. It feels weird, you know, saying these things, knowing that in my timeline I'll be dead in a few minutes, but they need to be said. You're my best friend, Ben. My anchor, back-up, the guy who made every day fun. You're caring, kind, the guy who'd stop in the street to help out a complete stranger without expecting anything back. And you're one amazing Jedi that I've always admired. Please, _please_ don't stop being that guy. Mourn for me a little bit, but then go back to living after, 'kay? I…I never wanted to go so quickly…Ben. Wanted so…so much more…but…that's not in the cards for us now. So you have to live for the both of us."

"It hurts, Kani," Ben barely managed to get out, sinking to his knees and staring pleadingly up at her. "So much. I never told you how much you meant to me. Thought we'd have forever…its stupid, I know. But we grew up doing all sorts of crazy things, survived everything the galaxy threw at us. And the one time I wasn't here when you needed me most…Oh Force, its hurts so bad…"

Kani sank to her knees with him, squeezing her own eyes shut as she too let out a sob. "Ben…"

"I should have told you," Ben murmured, shaking his head. "Why didn't I tell you when I could?"

"Believe me Ben, I know how you felt about me…I guess…I always knew. It's why we just clicked, yeah?"

"I love you," Ben whispered out-loud, looking to her with tears rolling down his cheeks. He gripped her hands. "I love you Kani Asari."

Kani bowed her head, her own tears dripping from her eyes but leaving no mark in the charred soil below. Her body began to lose its solid form and her hands slipped from his. She looked up, purple eyes baring her soul to him. "And I love you too, Ben Skywalker."

"Goodbye, Kani," Ben managed, forcing himself to smile. If she was going to die, the last thing he wanted was for her to remember him crying.

As if thinking the same thing, Kani gave him a lopsided smile in turn as she hastily wiped away her tears. "Goodbye, Ben."

She faded away completely, leaving Ben standing on the cracked flagstones, hands stretched out and grasping nothing but air.

"Goodbye," Ben repeated hoarsely, knowing that one chapter of his life was now permanently over. He was done with the Jedi, he was done with the Force. All he wanted now was to let the war pass him by and be at peace.

 **LotJB[II]LotJB**

Syal Antilles heard the door to her cell slide open and she wearily looked up from her seated position at her visitor. "Lord Rexus. I didn't know you had time to deal with traitors and minor issues."

"I like making contingencies," the muscle-bound, dark Jedi sniper said evenly. He then surprised her by unstrapping a snub-nosed blaster from his ankle and sliding it over to her.

Syal glanced at it, making no effort to unwrap her arms from where they had been hugging her knees to her chest. Slowly, she raised an eyebrow at the man. "Is this supposed to be some sort of test?"

"In a way, yes," he said, his expression unreadable behind his mask. "If you claim to be as loyal to Corellia as you have so vociferously protested, then this will be your chance to prove it."

"How?"

"I fully anticipate that the Jedi and their CorSec allies will attempt to rescue you, your parents, and the elder Horns sometime before the execution tomorrow. If you are loyal, you will know what to do with that blaster when they come for you."

"And if they don't?"

Lord Rexus chuckled darkly. "Then you will die a loyal daughter of Corellia. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

He stepped back out of the room, the door sliding shut with a bang.

Syal glanced back to the holstered blaster, the pale glow of moonlight filtering through the high window of her cell and glinting on its metallic surface. Slowly, as if expecting a trick, she reached out with one hand and gripped the weapon, pulling it to her. She removed the blaster from the holster and promptly checked the charge. She had five shots. She checked the rest of the weapon, and realized it was fully functional.

Holding the weapon in her hand, Syal stared at the barrel in silent contemplation. There were so many things she could do, so many choices. Since she had been arrested and imprisoned, she had had plenty of time to think about her situation.

She knew she was innocent of the charges, and that thought burned into her like a blazing lance. The Jedi must have gotten to her pilots some how, must have done some sort of mind-trick to turn loyal sons and daughters of Corellia into traitors. She knew that it was within the realm of possibility for Jedi like Jysella Horn, whose family was renowned for their mental manipulations. That thought made her hatred of Jedi burn even stronger. To make someone betray everything they believed in simply because the Jedi wanted a job done, it wasn't right on any level.

Syal's grip on the blaster tightened as she let out an angry breath, her veins standing out against her pale-white, moonlit skin. What was wrong with wanting to protect her homeworld, with wanting to protect the values her parents had instilled in her since she was a little girl? Be true to your beliefs, even if others doubt you. Protect those unable to protect themselves. Always be just and fair. Iella and Wedge had taught her those lessons again and again. She had tried her best to keep to them as a fighter pilot for the Galactic Alliance. But reality was so much different.

The Jedi were hardly paragons of justice and fairness. They had led hundreds of millions of men and women into war throughout the ages. Supposedly on 'behalf of the safety of the galaxy and galactic peace'. A decade passes, millions of lives lost, and the galaxy was still filled with strife, with suffering. And now, just when Corellia was reaching a state of peace and order, the remnants of the Green Jedi assassinated High Lord Namman Cha and spread fear and uncertainty among the population of Corellia.

It all came back to the Jedi. To the ones who had gotten every single member of her squadron killed during the Killik War. Who had gotten her sister Joined to a Killik hive after approving a mission that had practically been suicide. Who had gotten her parents arrested and awaiting execution because her parents still blindly believed that the Jedi were actually 'good'.

Syal let her thumb flick the safety off, and the snub-nosed blaster whined to indicate its readiness. Her lips twisted into a grim smirk. If the Jedi thought that her current predicament would bring her over to their side, they were sorely mistaken. She would prove to Lord Rexus and Darth Moderus, to the Diktat and all of Corellia, where she stood.

She pushed herself off the ground and slid the blaster back into its holster, tucking both under the thin mattress in her cell. She then checked her reflection in the small mirror attached to the wall over her sink. Her blond hair was wild and unkempt, something that irked her. If she was going to show Corellia, show the galaxy, how a true daughter acted, she needed to be a bit more presentable. As she pulled her hair back into a bun, a beam of moonlight washed across her face.

For a moment, Syal's eyes met that of her reflection's, and she let out a startled gasp, her hair fluttering from her grip. She quickly pulled her hair back and glanced at her reflection once more. She could have sworn that her eyes, eyes that had been icy blue since birth, had been yellow and striated with red flecks. She carefully examined her mirror-image. Her face was gaunt, her skin pale, the veins more pronounced than she remembered. But her eyes were still blue. She sighed, shaking her head tiredly.

 _The pressure of everything must be getting to me_. She finished doing up her hair, casually looking herself over one last time.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day in more ways than one. She almost felt sorry for the Jedi or rebel assigned to free her. She patted the mattress where the blaster sat waiting beneath. Ideals were nothing without the fortitude to back them up with action. And soon, all of Corellia will see that its future is with the One Sith as a center of power in its new empire.

Her irises flitted yellow once more, but this time Syal ignored it, dismissed it as a trick of her tired mind. She wanted peace, order, a galaxy where the strong truly protected the weak. How could that be wrong or dark in any way?

 **II-I-II-I-II**

 _The next morning_

"This is not going to work," Jysella grumbled, her pilfered One Sith mask muffling her voice. She looked the part in her dark Jedi robes, striding moodily across the duracrete grounds towards her goal.

"It'll work, trust us," Myri breathed back, her residual Joining coming through due to the high stakes. She turned her head, covered with an equally stolen Corellian Special Operation's ski-mask-like hood, to respond to the Jedi with her. "We're lucky that the bad guys always wear headgear that covers their face. It's like they're ashamed of the side they're on or something."

"It's meant to promote uniformity."

"You can be uniform without being ashamed of your face."

"The only way you can be uniformed like that is if everyone has the same face."

"If you put it that way, the Empire made no sense in hiding the heads of their stormies because all of them were clones."

"The helmets were for protection."

"From what, low-hanging doors?" Myri continued their seemingly banal banter. It had actually been a plan of theirs to keep the other One Sith on base from snuffing out their _actual_ plan. "Ewok rocks killed the guy inside it just as much as a blasterbolt. The helmets didn't even filter out toxic gas. You study the old combat reports? All the helmets did was make the stormies lousy shots."

Jysella's reply had to wait as they approached yet another checkpoint. The guards manning it seemed very bored, especially since they were the fifth checkpoint inside a ring of already heavy security on a fenced-off military base. Someone would have to be either very brave or very stupid to try and actually infiltrate the mountain which housed the core of the base.

"Halt, ID chits," the lead soldier voiced, casually holding out his hand. The others with him only paid the two women minimal attention as they stood at their posts.

Jysella had been surveying the checkpoint as they approached and knew that mind-tricks wouldn't work this time around. There were automated weapons' platforms, droids, and several security cameras watching them. She also could tell that, despite being dressed as a regular grunt on guard-duty, one of the guards at the checkpoint was a dark Jedi.

"Darth Moderus really paranoid or something?" Jysella grumbled. "My ID chit hasn't changed since the last checkpoint."

"With the executions happening tonight, everyone's being checked. Even Lord Rexus had to supply his ID chit," the lead soldier sighed as if he had heard the complaint many times over.

"What, like the Jedi are going to be stupid enough to try and get through the entire CCCP battalion guarding this place?" Jysella snorted, subtly weaving the Force over the entire group. It was passive enough that the dark-Jedi-in-disguise didn't even realize what was happening.

"I know, but after what happened to High Lord Cha, Darth Moderus is just being careful I guess," the soldier shrugged. He ran the ID chits through the scanner, and the light blurted red. "Sorry, lieutenant, acolyte, neither of you have the security clearances needed to go beyond this point."

"This again?" Jysella huffed. "Lieutenant?"

"Try it again, captain," Myri added, sliding her hand away from the interface mounted on her gauntlet. Blocked from view by Jysella's body, and unseen by the security forces thanks to Jysella's mind-trick, Myri had been using the time to slice into the reader and the security systems around them. "We were assigned here as part of last-minute security enhancements."

The captain ran the ID chits again. This time they both pinged, the indicator turning green. "Yeah, it looks like the system just needed to refresh itself. The both of you are clear."

"Thank you, captain."

As they passed the checkpoint and the soldiers relaxed, Jysella turned her Force-abilities up a notch, dominating the minds of the entire group. She quickly inserted into their minds a set of commands that would be triggered at the right stimulus, and then ratcheted up their discontent at having such a menial post to lessen any resistance to those commands. The entire attack took only a few dozen seconds, the group never knowing that they had just been turned into a sort of ticking time-bomb.

Myri watched the Jedi work in silence, remembering the comment she had made when the plan was first brought up.

" _You know it's scary knowing that you can do that._ "

" _I used a similar technique to assist in un-Joining you."_

" _That's what makes it scary. We know what you are capable of, what you're going to do to a whole host of soldiers who will most likely just be following orders. If you didn't have a solid sense of right or wrong, that power could be used for evil."_

" _It was my brother who taught me to never compromise who I am. Going dark, using my power to hurt others, it would just be an insult to his memory, to everything he fought and died for."_

" _And you can really control that many minds at once?"_

" _Don't have to. Think of it like those computers you slice into. You don't actually have to be present to make those droids and turrets do what you want. All you do is insert a bit of code into the program that activates at a prearranged time. The machine follows that code just like these people will follow the orders I've implanted in their minds. Until then, they continue to function normally without a clue as to what's happening. When the right conditions present itself, they'll act according to the thoughts I've placed in their heads. When the programming runs its course, they return to their normal selves."_

" _If they're still alive."_

" _True. But would you rather your family dies and drones of the CCCP live in their place?"_

Jysella gestured briefly and Myri fell into step with her, the two continuing on in silence. Silence was needed because now the area they were in was constantly monitored by probe-droids and other forms of surveillance. They continued on, not exactly in a hurried step, but not sedate either. A quick check of their chronometers let them know that they were still on schedule.

When they approached a rather large blast-door that led into the mountain, they could see that the checkpoint for said important-looking door was crewed by full-fledged dark Jedi from the One Sith. From their heavily-decked out robes and very visible lightsabers clipped to their belts, to the expressionless masks that conformed to their faces, there was no mistaking their purpose. Also not mistakable was the full Force-scan the five at the door immediately commenced as Jysella and Myri stopped in front of them.

"Orders?" One of them asked, the Force making his words intimidating and able to induce the truth from any weak-minded soldier.

"We're here to break out the prisoners and ruin Darth Moderus' day," Myri said truthfully, not bothering to resist the Force command.

The dark Jedi all did a double-take, with the first speaker scowling behind his mask. "Just the two of you?"

"Nah, we have an army," Myri waved her hands behind her.

The dark Jedi looked at her, then at the empty space behind her, then at her again, their confusion clear.

"What army?"

As soon as the question was asked, loudspeakers across the base, as well as every single comm-unit was lit up with panic.

" _Lockdown! Lockdown! Put the base on lockdown! Rebel forces have launched an all out attack on Coronet. I repeat, all soldiers man the perimeter. One Sith to your posts. Be on the look out for any enemy infiltrators!_ "

"That's us by the way," Myri supplied helpfully.

The dark Jedi looked at her again, their stance becoming more wary. It was quite clear they didn't believe any enemy of theirs could be so stupid.

And then the chaos on the base started up.

Both Jysella and Myri had taken a circular route through the many checkpoints and barracks that dotted the perimeter of the base. Each time Jysella reprogrammed minds, while Myri took care of the electronics. All those affected needed to only hear a trigger-phrase to go trigger-happy. And the blaring announcement about the lockdown supplied the phrase most helpfully.

Explosions, blasterfire, and pretty much absolute mayhem erupted across the outer grounds. Coupled with that, the heavy door, one designed to take a proton bomb and remain in one piece, began to slowly close to the accompaniment of blaring alarms.

"Time to go," Myri said cheerfully, stepping by the lead dark Jedi.

The man made a move to grab her, and promptly tripped over his own feet. The others likewise tried to intercept Myri, only to jerk and stumble awkwardly in their movements. Some appeared to be gasping in panic, flailing around in their attempts to move.

"What did you do?" one choked out

"Reversed the signals your brain receives from your nervous system," Jysella shrugged, stepping by them with her hands extended. Caught off-guard by the Force attack, the group of dark Jedi never had a chance. "Up is down, left is right, fast is slow. I could, of course, tell your mind to shut down completely, but that'd be murder. And sadly, as Jedi, murdering an unarmed enemy is frowned on."

"Stop being a scary Jedi," Myri deadpanned, purposely keeping her mind as blank as she could. She knew that Jysella hadn't actually rewired their brains. As the Jedi had explained to her pre-mission, all she had to do was make the bad guys _think_ their brains were rewired and the mind-trick did the rest. All Jysella needed was an opening and any amount of doubt to pull off her mass disabling of the checkpoint crew. "Come on, door's closing."

One of the dark Jedi somehow managed to get one hand to his lightsaber. The moment he gripped it, he fell over and convulsed once, twice, then laid still. Jysella didn't even give the man a backward glance as she stepped over the threshold of the base and let the heavy door slam shut behind her. The moment it did, she released the mental grip she had on the rest of the check-point crew and gestured to Myri.

"Plan is still the same, go rescue the prisoners. I'll find Darth Moderus or whoever is in charge of this place and take them out."

 **II-II-II-II-II**

Darth Moderus was already dealing with another pressing issue when the alarms blared throughout the mountain base. Namely, how someone was able to bypass CCCP security protocols and fire Centerpoint without his or the Diktat's authorization. When the alarms went off, he barely paid them a second glance. Whatever was happening on Corellia could wait. A giant space-gun capable of leaving very large holes on planets definitely had priority. Especially if he no longer controlled said giant space-gun.

"Darth Moderus!" A harried aide quickly entered his room and saluted sharply.

"Report," Valin muttered, still going over the coding used to bypass a half-dozen failsafe measures and fire the superweapon.

"Darth Moderus. Rebel forces have launched a full-scale attack on Coronet. Local law enforcement is overwhelmed and requests immediate help. We have multiple reports that the Green Jedi are leading the attacks. As it stands now, over a half-dozen power junctions, three supply depots, and a myriad of military targets are now either destroyed or heavily damaged. Reports keep coming in by the…"

"And just what do you expect me to do about it?" Valin cut the man off, rubbing at his tired eyes in annoyance. "There are close to a hundred One Sith personnel on this planet alone. We have an entire army of the Five Worlds at our disposal. Do I really have to spell out what should be done next?"

"But sir…the Diktat…" the man gripped his head, his eyes widening.

"You seem like a smart man, major," Valin met the man's terrified gaze as the officer began to relive a sundry of pain and fear. "Does it look like I care what the Diktat says or does?"

The officer frantically shook his head.

"Good. Then stop trying to cover his backside and start putting down that rebellion."

"Sir…this base," the officer managed, looking absolutely miserable.

Valin eased up on some of the fear he was inflicting. "What about it?"

"The outer perimeter forces have joined the rebellion. Our own people are fighting each other out there."

"Has the garrison been deployed?"

"The base has been put on lock-down," the officer nodded.

Valin took a moment to think about the situation and then released the officer from his predicament. "Jedi Knight Jysella Horn is no doubt out there as we speak. She intends to rescue her parents and the other prisoners. Inform Lord Rexus that I want her found and brought to me and that the executions will be carried out as planned."

"Yes, Darth Moderus," the man saluted with trembling hand.

"Dismissed, major," Valin waved a hand at the man, and the CCCP major practically sprinted out of the room as fast as dignity allowed him.

Valin took his brief moment of solitude to glance back at his reports, before shaking his head slowly. He picked up his mask from off his desk and slid it into place over his face. He then gripped his lightsaber and pulled it free from his belt.

"Just what do you have planned, sister?" Darth Moderus murmured softly. "Be smart. I'm in so deep now, I can't give up the billions of lives I'm shielding for even you. If you slip up…"

Darth Moderus let his unspoken words fill the silence between the squawking alarms. Shrouding himself with his dark cloak, he pulled his hood up and let his red lightsaber blade flare to life. Without another word, he left his office, letting the Force and fate guide him to whatever was in store for him next.

 **LotJB[III]LotJB**

Former Antarian Ranger Sacha Swiftbird, already in her mid thirties at the end of the Clone War, was the octogenarian Force-sensitive director of Nar Shadda's podracing and swoop tracks and looked decades younger than her actual age. Though her black hair had long been completely silvery-white, wrinkles crinkled her galaxy-roughened skin, and both eyes were completely cybernetic, she still carried with her an aura of that same freedom fighter who had slain an Inquisitor and gone up against the Empire in her youth.

It was a trait needed on the heavily ravaged world of Nar Shadda. Once a thriving moon full of scum, villainy, and shady business deals; the Yuuzhan Vong War had more or less turned the entire satellite into a barren ball of rock. Those who had returned were forced to eke out a living under a myriad of corrupt officials and minimal resources. Even when Hutts had returned and reclaimed the system, things hardly improved. The desolate moon was a place that not even the scum and villainy of days past wanted to visit any more. But many still called it home, and terraforming initiatives were underway—machines that sterilized the ground from the harmful effects of any Yuuzhan Vong bioweapons, machines that converted the finely carbonized remains of city-sectors into reusable resources, mining initiatives to reach ore that the orbital bombardments had unlocked. Nar Shadda was still a place where one could get obscenely rich, one just had to work a lot harder to do so.

For Sacha Swiftbird, her position as boss of the Hutts' Nar Shadda racing circuits gave her much in the way of connections and information. With it being just her latest career in her long and storied past, she knew the ins and outs of getting people to do what she wanted.

It also meant that she got straight to the point, forgoing any pleasantries or fodder.

"What do you mean you can't help?" Nate frowned, voice barely heard over the mechanical pounding, drilling and other activities taking place in the podracing hangar. "In your message…"

"I said I 'might' have a lead that 'might' help you out," Sacha replied in a hoarse voice. "The information I received isn't going to be of any use to you though."

"And why not?" Janek Skywalker questioned. "You either know where Jesmin's brother is or you don't."

"Like I said, that knowledge won't help you out one bit. You're on Nar Shadda, kid. Even though it's been bombed to Sith and back, everything still comes at a cost. Whether or not you're willing to pay it is a different story."

"Jesmin's mom is Tyria Sarkin, a fellow Ranger," Ryza said incredulously. "You're really going to put a price on that?"

"I'm not the one with the price," Sacha shook her head. "It's the Grand Hutt Council whose good side you need to get on. Several months ago they detained two Jedi who came to them. Supposedly these Jedi had information that a dark Jedi attack was imminent and they wanted to warn the Hutts. But with the One Sith being nowhere near here and here being a pisspoor target to waste any sort of resources on, the Hutts didn't believe them. If you want to find out what happened to those Jedi, it's the Hutts you need to talk to."

"Then we'll…"

"Not so fast, girl," Sacha interrupted Ryza. "The Hutts that make up the current Council are not friends of the Galactic Alliance or the Jedi. They're all isolationists who prefer to pretty up their corner of the galaxy and hope everything outside of it blows over. They won't tell you kids a single thing unless…"

"Sacha, look at their faces, do they _look_ like they're in the mood for word games," Nate said drolly, gesturing to the stormclouds that were Janek and Ryza, the annoyed glares of San're and Naeli, and the passive resignation of Jesmin and Vekki.

"Kids these days," Sacha shook her head almost pityingly. "Look, I may have an in for you but it'll involve risking your necks in an almost-certain-death situation."

"What is it?" Jesmin asked woodenly. Her inability to feel her older brother ate at her and kept her more subdued than usual.

"What have you heard about the Nar Shadda podracing circuits?"

"Haven't really followed them," Vekki shook her head. The others likewise indicated their lack of knowledge. "Is it any different than regular podracing?"

"Is it any different?" Sacha chortled a crackling laugh. "That's like asking if an Ewok is any different than a Wookie."

"Fill us in on the details," Ryza demanded impatiently.

"For one, it's team-racing," Sacha explained, gesturing to the sets of matching-colored podracers in the racks on the far side of the hangar. "When the circuits first opened up, it was every racer for themselves. But after the first few races ended with every single racer dying, the Grand Hutt Council decided to instead have multiple racers. These circuits have teams of five, with the winners being the ones to not only finish the fastest, but also have the most pods cross the finish line."

"Why did so many racers not make it?" Naeli asked worriedly.

"Because this circuit is damned near suicidal," Sacha said in a barking laughter. "It's a single lap, but we have lava vents, gusts and swells of several hundred kph, sandstorms, kilometer-length drops, near-vertical climbs, pools of sulfuric acid. You name it, we have it. And that's just the natural challenges."

"There's more?" Vekki said faintly, her pale skin standing out against her red hair.

"Sure, the Hutts thought it'd be fun to keep a couple of those Yuuzhan Vong beasties too. On Karagga's Run, Borvo the Hutt has a Fire-Breather leashed close enough to the track that it can take out the unfortunate racer if it feels like it. Tydoran has the orbital terraformers drop into the atmosphere and discharge their heat capacitors."

"Let me guess, that's lethal," Janek said darkly.

"Top marks for you, Skywalker. Sometimes an outlaw or twenty will take shots at passing racers. It's all what makes the race so exciting."

"What do the winners get?" San're asked, seemingly interested in the near-certain-death racing circuit.

"Fame, bragging rights," Sacha gestured dismissively. "An audience with the entire Hutt Council, and an obscene amount of precious metals, jewels, and credits. The winners of the upcoming Boonta Eve Classic also get a giant feast and celebration thrown in their honor and their faces splashed across all of Hutt Space."

"So you have an in?" Nate got the conversation back on track.

"Yes," Sacha pointed to the set of speeders again. "Zetto the Hutt just so happens to be in the market for a new team for the upcoming Boonta Eve Classic. His first choices were all vaporized in a rather spectacular explosion when a magma tube decided to open up right on top of them."

"On top?"

"Part of the course goes through the magma tubes of an active volcano," Sacha nodded.

"You're really not making this sound good in any way," Naeli voiced, her head-tendrils twitching in nervousness.

"It's not supposed to be," Sacha answered back. "You kids are probably going to die trying this and I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Is this Jedi you're looking for really worth all the hassle?"

"He's my brother," Jesmin said softly. "If he's still alive, I have to do anything I can."

"It's your funerals," Sacha shrugged. "The race is in three days. You have that long to learn the controls of your pods, study the route, and prep for any contingencies. All pods have life-support for the sub-zero temperatures, heat-shields for the magma tubes, and basic shielding to protect from solar radiation. You'll also be wearing mag-con suits as a just-in-case. In case of what, don't ask since it won't do squat if you crash into anything. Remember, even if one of you crosses the finish line first, it won't matter if some other team does the same hours later with everyone alive and you were the only one. I still think you should just give it up and walk away."

"Not going to happen," Janek said resolutely.

"Jedi...It's a wonder that there are any of you still around," Sacha tsked, shaking her head. "You kids should know that recklessly diving headfirst into suicidal missions is not a good way to prolong your Order. I'll sign you all up. Report to this hangar tomorrow morning and let's see if we can at least get one of you across the finish line."

 **III-I-III-I-III**

"'Let's go rescue her brother', he said," Ryza grumbled, pummeling a punching bag with kicks, punches, and frustrated bursts of Force energy. "'We have a better chance of surviving', he said. And what's the first thing he does? Signs us up for something an expert racer calls 'suicidal'!"

"Talking to yourself isn't exactly healthy, Durron," Jesmin grunted out breathlessly, pausing mid-crunch as she dangled upside down from the work-out bar.

"Your pain-in-the-ass brother better be alive, Ms. Commando," Ryza snarled, sending the punching bag flying off its base and thudding across the room. "If we go through all these hoops, if we've left my brothers in One Sith hands, all for nothing..."

"Thank you for coming with us and helping me out," Jesmin cut off her volatile friend, flipping off the bar and landing upright. "I'm not sure I would have been as strong as you if things were reversed. I might only see my brother once in a supernova, but I grew up on his stories. Got to know him through those. He's done so much for so many people... And when we do get to him, he'll definitely help us rescue your brothers. He knows Tracyn and Dinua and Clan Skirata. He'll get them to help us too."

Ryza grunted, summoning the punching bag back to her only to deliver a decapitating round-house kick to it when it got close enough. "Don't know why I let Skywalker talk me into this. Stupid blue eyes. He knows I can't stand it when he cries."

"To be fair, I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen him that distraught," Jesmin said, walking over to several training droids and picking up a bo-staff. "The first was when you took his stuffed lizard-monkey."

"We were five, that doesn't count," Ryza couldn't help but smirk at the memory. She joined Jesmin in the circle, summoning a staff of her own. "And I only took it because he kept tugging on my ponytail."

"You gave back the toy when he started crying," Jesmin pointed out. "Level Five or Six today?"

"Still angry, make it six."

"I'll have the burn-packs on standby," Jesmin winced, setting the program.

"Any idea how we're going to get his royal play-boyness out of this mess?" Ryza asked, twirling her staff as a small army of training droids activated. "You know that Vekki, Naeli, and San're are all scared stiff about the race."

"Like we aren't too?"

"Not scared. I don't do scared. Angry is more useful," Ryza hissed, her staff knocking aside one droid's weapon, only for two others to lunge in towards her. One scored a sparking hit on her arm, leaving a slight burn on her exposed skin. She got even by jamming her staff into the head of another droid, dropping it out of the fight. "And we still need a plan. Or do you really think the Hutts are going to happily give up their prized Jedi prisoners?"

"We still need to win the race first," Jesmin pointed out, sweeping two droids off their feet and taking out another with a thrust to the chest. "Have you seen the course?"

"Yeah."

They fell silent for the next few minutes as the training droids picked up their skill and intensity, the sounds of their electro-staffs humming filling the air. When their work-out was over, over a dozen droids lay on the ground and both teenage girls were covered in minor burns and scrapes.

"Sithspit," Ryza grumbled, applying the burn-patch to a rather large burn on one of her thighs.

"You did want Level Six," Jesmin panted with a laugh, summoning a patch for herself and applying it to her hand.

"Shut up," Ryza said petulantly.

"Still angry?"

"Seems like I always am these days," Ryza shrugged. "Makes those days of stealing stuffed animals seem completely pointless you know."

"I never had much of a childhood," Jesmin replied. "Was always with dad except for those few times when he dropped me off at the academy for his extra-dangerous missions. That day you took Janek's toy was I think only my second stay with you guys. Couldn't understand why friends were so mean to each other. When I was with dad...he's great and all, but my Aurabesh lessons were alongs the lines of 'Aura is for accuracy, Besh is for blaster, Cresh is for commando, and Dorn is for detonator'. Which probably isn't in the 'best parenting' handbook."

"My dad blew up a sun and killed millions," Ryza deadpanned. "Then went on to be a reckless Jedi that keeps getting his team killed off. You try being the child of that man."

"Guess that's why you're into Janek," Jesmin said teasingly. "Reminds you of your dad."

"If I wasn't so sore I'd hit you," Ryza glared.

"You two done?" An amused Janek asked from the doorway of the workout room.

Both girls turned to him, arched their eyebrows and gave him a look that had him pale slightly.

"Errrr...no?" Janek tried.

"Good guess, Skywalker," Ryza sighed, rolling her eyes. "Did you need something?"

"Vekki came up with something," Janek jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "She might not know how to drive a podracer to save her life, but she's a wiz tech-person. Modified the batch of racers we're using to give us a slight edge. Naeli also plotted out the best possible course for us, as well as contingencies since we _know_ that something's going to go wrong. And San're's come up with an escape plan or two in case the meeting with the Hutts don't go how we want it. Who knew that the Ysanna were so sneaky?"

Jesmin and Ryza exchanged bemused looks.

"Team, right?" Janek said pointedly. "Just because Vekki prefers droid company and the others aren't fighters doesn't mean they're not trying to find ways to keep us alive too."

Again, the two teenage girls glanced to each other, matching feelings of embarrassment momentarily escaping.

Ryza recovered first. "And you, Skywalker? What's your plan for keeping us alive. And if you say that thought you're currently thinking of..."

Janek's face flushed and he frantically threw up all sorts of mental blocks. Seeing both fit, very attractive girls clad in form-fitting, skin-showing, work-out clothes was derailing his ability to think non-teenage boy thoughts. It was that shortage of blood to his thinking brain, and not any ulterior plan to boost their spirits, that caused him to say his next words. "So, does that mean the threesome's out?"

Jesmin just hung her head, shaking it in amusement as Ryza sent the abused punching bag flying off the ground and towards a wildly laughing Janek as the latter took off down the hallway. Janek's ability to take life in a casual way was one of the reasons why Jesmin felt attracted to him. Growing up surrounded by hardened, career soldiers who had seen so much death and destruction, it was easy to adopt their cynical, pessimistic view of the galaxy. But becoming friends with the carefree Skywalker scion had taught her to live life as it came and not worry about what was beyond her control.

Sure the route to her brother might be life-threatening and hazardous to the lives of her friends. But she would tackle that problem when it came. She knew that her friends were there to support her, again thanks to Skywalker. In two days' time now, she'd either be hugging her brother senseless, or taking a page out of Ryza's book and slugging him with everything she had for making her worry so much.

 **LotJB[IV]LotJB**

"Here," Nelani Luxe held up a datachip for a confused Raxi. It was late in the night, the stars bright in the sky thanks to the near bombed-out state of the planet and its lack of artificial lighting.

Turning from her hilltop view of the capitol city, the Zeltron Force-sensitive turned to her Jedi friend and ached an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"The data you came here for," Nelani replied. "The information about the Sithspawn plague that the One Sith have unleashed on the galaxy. It's everything that was in our databanks. There isn't an exact a cure anymore, what with the virus mutating and everything. But hopefully it's a start. Get it to a proper med-facility and you should be able to stop the spread of the virus."

"What about Lorrd?" Raxi protested.

"It's just one planet," Nelani gestured to the ruined cityscape behind her. "We're talking about saving an entire galaxy. Besides, it's not like it's going to be alone. I'll be here. This is my planet now. I was born here, my family is here. The whole galaxy saving bit is for Jedi like you and Siare."

"I told the High Prophet that I'd stop the war from breaking out. I haven't done that yet."

"And those trillions suffering because the One Sith unleashed the plague on their worlds? You have a duty to them too. Lorrd will still be here when you're done. Those other worlds won't be if you take the time to help out this one planet on the verge of civil war."

Raxi looked away, blinking back tears of frustration. "I just hate the idea of choosing one life over another. Siare and I will drop off the information and come straight back then. Think you can hold off both sides until then?

Nelani smiled faintly. "I'm a Jedi, of course I ca..."

"Jedi Luxe!"

Both women sighed in distress, sensing the panic from the approaching messenger.

"Report," Nelani tilted her head imperiously.

"The Church of the Dark Side temples, they're not temples!"

"What do you mean?" Nelani frowned.

"They're airships!" The aide handed Nelani a pair of electrobinoculars and pointed in the general direction of the Church of the Dark Side temple in Lorrd's capitol city.

Nelani held up the device and stared through it, her own shock and surprise felt even by Raxi's minimal Force sensitivity.

"Nelani?"

"Here," the Lorrdian Jedi passed off the electrobinoculars.

Raxi peered through them and her own jaw dropped. Hovering over its initial site was the large, gleaming, red pyramid that had been the Church of the Dark Side's main headquarters. Flying up next to it were a plethora of smaller triangles that had been outbuildings and other structures in the church's courtyard.

"Reports from all over Lorrd," the aide continued breathlessly. "Church temples are all rising into the air. Observers nearby can make out turbolaser and other gun emplacements on them. The smaller structures appear to be fighter-craft of some sort."

"How many in total?"

"Over three dozen of the larger pyramids throughout the world. Hundreds of the smaller ones. Prime Minister Coro Luxe is mustering all air-force assets and anti-air batteries."

"Raxi, take my personal shuttle, find Siare, and get out of here!" Nelani barked.

"But..."

"Go," Nelani grabbed her comm-link. "Coro, have all units hold their fire. The One Sith are just trying to provoke us into acting. If we act first, we give up the moral high-ground."

Raxi couldn't hear Coro's response, but whatever it was, Nelani shook her head.

"No. Your brother is no longer in control of his faction. If he was, he would have had those ships open fire already. The High Prophets are the ones in charge now. Remember what I told you about dark Jedi preying on the wishes, fears, and vulnerabilities of others. If they do fire, they'll just be revealing their true colors."

This time Coro's voice rose in obvious agitation. " _Nelani, they are taking up positions over all of our important military and power-generating locations. They can take out our ability to strike-back if we don't strike first."_

"Raxi, what are you still doing here?"

"It's Siare," Raxi held up her own comlink. "Say again, Siare."

" _I'm on one of those floating pyramid things with Khola, Tabor'cee, and Zal!"_

"What?! How!?"

" _Khola had invited me over to continue my training. I was in a guest bungalow when it decided to take off._ "

"Where are the others?"

" _They're right here with me. These things are all slaved to the main temple. No controls that we can access at all. We're thinking about just taking a lightsaber to the engine-housing, but we're kind of really high up._ "

"They had no idea what was about to happen?" Raxi frowned.

" _They're just as shocked as I am. You should hear Tabor'cee swearing up and down that she had no idea the pyramids could fly. Even her higher-ranking older brother didn't have a clue."_

"Nelani gave me the data we needed," Raxi began, biting her lower lip.

" _Then take the first ship off of this planet. This place is about to go up like a box of thermal detonators. No sense getting caught with info that can save planets that_ _ **didn't**_ _volunteer for a civil war._ "

"Siare..."

" _Go. I'm buddies with these dark Jedi crazies now, they'll help keep me alive._ "

"That has to be the least reassuring thing you could say," Raxi hissed back. "Those dark side crazies are doing their best to provoke the light side crazies into starting a crazier conflict that no one will win!"

" _We should still be around in the time it takes for you to get back."_

"Again with your stupid attempts at reassuring me," Raxi shook her head, surprised to find that she was crying. "Siare..."

" _How many scrapes have I gotten out of before? This hardly beats it."_

"You idiot, you only got out of those 'scrapes' because me or the others of our little team had your back! If you haven't noticed by now, dark Jedi specialize in back-stabbing!"

" _Raxi, I promise I'll be alive when you get back._ "

Raxi squeezed her eyes shut, breathing ragged. In the background she could hear Nelani bark out a series of orders to whoever she was talking to. Could sense the Force pulsating in warning, as if counting down. Could feel her own heart pounding as she fought to stay in control of her emotions and failed.

"You better," Raxi choked out. She started to lower the comlink, then brought it up one last time. "Siare..."

" _Yeah?_ "

"I love you."

" _Yeah_ ," Siare replied softly. " _Back at you, Raxi._ "

Raxi sniffled and let her comlink-holding arm drop to her side. She turned towards her Jedi friend and saw that Nelani was gesturing to the air. Raxi looked up and saw a shuttle swooping in.

"You're going to have to pilot it. We need all pilots for this if we have any hope of countering the Church of the Dark Side's latest move."

"I can do it."

"Good luck out there."

"Good luck down here," Raxi returned. She nodded to the pilot who was off-boarding and hurried to the cockpit. Already second and third thoughts were eating at her and her eyes were annoyingly wet as she got the ship back into the air.

The shuttle rose faster and faster, Raxi keeping its sensors oriented towards the large pyramid on the horizon. She couldn't help but hold her breath as the warning in the Force became more and more urgent.

And then the moment she was dreading erupted across the planet like a firestorm.

She wasn't sure who fired first, the sensors couldn't differentiate and it hardly mattered. She was just about to clear the stratosphere when ground-based laser batteries and the cannons in the larger pyramids both activated. She pressed a helpless hand to the viewport of the cockpit, shaking her head as silent explosions and flashes of light illuminated the night. From her vantage point now in high orbit, she could see the streaks of laserfire and bright blossoms of chaos being unleashed across the world. Contrails of missiles arcing high into space itself and reaching across the planet wove crisscrossing lines like a scene from some apocalyptic holovid. She didn't need her imagination to know that many people were going to die in the coming minutes, days, and weeks.

"No," Raxi whispered hoarsely. It didn't make sense. Why did people always have to resort to war when there were other options? Why hadn't she done more to stop the fighting from breaking out? She was a Jedi, wasn't she? Her job to preserve the peace? So why was she on an outbound shuttle running away from a planet full of suffering and in need of a mediator?

She glanced back down to the navi-computer, a trembling hand resting on the hyperspace lever. Clenching her jaw she shook her head and pulled the throttle down. The space before her ship turned blue and she was propelled lightyears away from Siare, from a planet in civil war, from a promise she had so dearly wanted to keep but had to break to save the lives of billions elsewhere.

 **LotJB[V]LotJB**

The first part of the offensive was to create a leap-frogging network of blind-spots that Zomana Onimi could not see. The masquers the Shapers had created would only last for a few hours, giving crews that long to not only fight and secure a location, but also implant seeds from the developing World Brain linked to Nen Yim and the others. If it worked out, they were literally planting the seeds to the Dark Witch's defeat.

It was a risky gamble. If they took too long or complications arose, the risk of losing an entire attack force was really high. On the opposite side, if a blind-spot was created, it gave Cassa's side more room to work with and kept Onimi and those he controlled off-guard. To maximize the chance of success, every available team was being sent out in specially planned routes. Cassa and an elite unit of warriors would be on hand to manage any hot-spots that do pop up. But with the masquer keeping the teams from view, everything was starting off without any problems.

The actual fighting shouldn't break out until much later, when the forces of Cassa and the Enlightened Yuuzhan Vong could hopscotch their way across Zonama Onimi-controlled land almost on a whim. 'Shouldn't' being the key word. But when you started blocking out splotches of a sentient planet's nervous system, things were bound to get noticed. Block out too many spots, especially areas of importance, and the likelihood of Onimi sending someone to investigate was very high. The main problem was that no one knew how sensitive Zonama Onimi was. Onimi himself was already crazy, so predicting his reactions was near-impossible. How does one out-think a madman? How does one out-think a mad planet?

Expanding the perimeter was a first. The seeds needed a few days to grow before they could produce an effective gravimetric shielding. Once established, they would create small bubbles of energy that would negate Zonama Onimi's own dovin basal-like effect on the Yuuzhan Vong lifeforms.

"Relax," Ganner muttered out of the side of his mouth as Cassa paced back and forth. "You're creating a track in the ground, oh great one."

"If the others see you nervous, they will become nervous too," Jae'na added in an equally low voice.

Cassa shot a dirty look to her friends, both of whom were standing stock-still on either side of her like pillars. Behind them were the fast-response-force, ready to move at the slightest sign of trouble. "Easy for you two to say."

"It kind of is," Jae'na nodded. "But right now you're supposed to be blessed by the divine. Please act like it."

"I really need advisers that respect me," Cassa grumbled, forcing herself to stand still. Even as she did, her hands balled up into fists in the sleeves of her mother's old Jedi robes.

"Look," Ganner voiced. "This is either going to work and everyone will call you a genius and really believe that the Yun'o has your back. Or it will be a massive failure and we'll all die."

"That's not helping," Jae'na scowled at the half-Hapan teen. "If I could move I'd whack you with this coufee."

Cassa did her best not to laugh out loud at the familiar antics of her two oldest friends. "I'll do it for you, Jae'na."

"The plan will most definitely work," Ganner said quickly. "No one's reported any trouble yet, right? And the masquers still remain effective for at least another hour."

The blonde-haired daughter of Anakin and Tahiri muttered a curse under her breath and resumed her pacing, her bare feet sliding through the almost volcanic-like sand that dominated Zonama Onimi. "I'm not going to relax until we get everyone back."

Almost as if in response, the villip choir held by Jae'na twisted to life.

" _So'ran we have failed you!_ "

Cassa gritted her teeth. "Report!"

" _While attempting to plant the seed of the dark witch's demise, we encountered a patrol of the Dark One himself! We are being overwhelmed and..."_

"Unit Five-Three," Cassa called out to the fast-response-team. "Grid Two-One-One, go!"

The elite warriors yanked the reins of their lizard mounts and took off in a flash.

"Shaper," Cassa refocused on the villip. "Reinforcements are incoming. Has the seed been planted?"

" _We were intercepted before we could lower the seed to the designated coordinates. Many have already fallen. Our masquers are becoming compromised. Forgive us for our incompetence!"_

"There's nothing to forgive," Cassa choked out. "You've served the gods well and they await you with open arms."

A second villip on the choir formed up. " _So'ran, the forces of the Dark One converge on our location. We hear fighting from a nearby group. We will not be able to fall back along the planned route."_

Before Cassa could reply, a third villip snaked to life. " _Al tanna So'ran! Our position has been compromised. We are doing our best to defend the seed, but the Dark One's minions attack in overwhelming numbers. Requesting immediate support!"_

A fourth villip coiled to form the face of Shaeri. " _Cassa, Zonama Onimi has shifted a large number of forces to our location. We are in danger of being cut off..._ "

A fifth villip squeaked to life. " _...Are being overrun! Repeat, the seed has been planted but Fire-Breathers and rakamat have laid siege to our location. We need help!_ "

Cassa jerked back and forth between the different villips, a rising panic choking off any words she wanted to say. She didn't know which ones to respond to first, _how_ to respond to those in need of help. When she needed it the most, it felt as if the Force had suddenly left her.

Ganner's voice stirred her out of her terrified shock. "I hear and obey, So'ran." The red-haired boy quickly moved over to the villip choir, glancing back to the remaining force of warriors. "The Divinely Chosen orders a full deployment. Concentrate your forces on teams that have yet to plant their seed. We need a full web for the next phase of the So'ran's plans to work."

"Understood," the lead warrior clasped a fist to his chest, and the large force peeled off in different directions to assist the others.

Ganner then reached up and began answering the villips. "Grid Two-Two-Five, reinforcements are on their way, get that seed planted. Grid One-Three-Seven, unable to get forces to you, may the Yun'o watch over you. Supreme Leader Jamaane, all forces have been deployed, you're on your own. Grid Three-Eight-One, back up will arrive, maintain your current mission and get that seed planted no matter the cost."

As Cassa watched her friend take over, her own legs gave out and she plopped down to the charcoal-like soil, swallowing heavily as tears began to flow from her eyes. Being so heavily connected to the planet and its people, she could feel the wave of death wash across its surface as the people who trusted her as a divinely-appointed leader fought and died. Not only that, she could even feel the deaths of those who were under Onimi's thrall. The deaths, coupled with the realization that she had frozen at a pivotal moment, had the young teen shaking like a leaf. She suddenly wanted more than anything to have her mom and dad at her side, making everything better. Wanted to hear her young brother teasing her about the ridiculous outfit she was wearing to look 'divine'. She wanted to just be Cassa Solo again, thirteen year old girl who didn't have the fate of an entire people on her shoulders.

"Breathe," Jae'na whispered, rubbing Cassa's back, kneeling down in the dirt with her. "Come on, Cassa. My people need you. They need to see the Chosen of the Gods standing tall against the darkness threatening to drown them all. _I_ need you to stand tall, because without that we have no hope."

Cassa hiccuped, whimpering as she drew upon the Force to calm herself.

"She weeps for those who die for our dreams." Cassa heard Ganner explain to the small contingent that served as her bodyguards. "Weeps for the freedom the ones who serve the dark god will only see upon death."

"He can only make up stuff for so long," Jae'na urged Cassa with a wry smile. "Come on."

Cassa swallowed and nodded once, unsteadily returning to her feet even as her heart thudded loudly in her chest. "I'm okay, I'm okay."

"As you say, So'ran," Jae'na said loudly and deferentially.

"Ganner, where was the forces of the Dark One concentrated the highest?" Cassa said hoarsely, making no attempt to hide her tears.

"Grid Three-Eight-One and Three-Eight-Two, So'ran," Ganner reported.

"Pull everyone out of Grid Three," Cassa shook her head. "Even if the seeds aren't planted. What about Grids One and Two?"

"Some bleed over from Grid Three, but the fighting's ramping up. I think it's safe to say the crazy planet realizes we're up to something."

"My personal guard," Cassa directed her Yuuzhan Vong protectors. "Reinforce our people in Grid Two. If they have their seeds planted, have them help you assist the other teams. If not, hold until the seeds are in the ground. We need at least two grids fully operational for all this loss to be worth it."

"So'ran, Supreme Commander Czalpak said that we are to remain by your..."

"Go!" Cassa barked, letting the Force swirl around her.

"As you command." The warriors looked a bit dubious, but outside of the Yun'o themselves coming down to reverse the command, they were stuck. They saluted sharply, then turned their own mounts and hurried towards their designated area.

"Cassa," Ganner said warily. "What's going on?"

"Zonama Onimi thinks something's going on. I'm going to give him something else to worry about," Cassa replied, her Zonama-given lightsaber flying into her hand as she vaulted onto her own mount.

"That's what I was afraid of," Ganner muttered, moving to his own mount.

"No," Cassa shook her head. "You and Jae'na are..."

"Coming with you," Jae'na said stubbornly, her Shaper-implants twining about to accent her agitation. "Even the divine have their attendants wherever they go."

"Fine, don't blame me if you guys die then," Cassa huffed, not wanting to waste any more time. She snapped the reins on her mount and headed off opposite of her forces.

"You do know our masquers will last for only a half-hour," Ganner reminded. "What's the plan?"

"Same plan. Be a giant glowing light in the darkness," Cassa remarked, continuing to draw in the Force-energies around her.

"Like a giant bug-light," Jae'na said with an exaggerated nod of understanding. "Drawing in a giant, planet-sized conscious of a bug that can kill us all. It's a good thing you have access to divine wisdom that we don't."

"You did want to come along," Cassa couldn't help but giggle. "Here we go."

The Force erupted out of Cassa, a pulsating, swirling maelstrom that ripped across the volcanic ground and sent tidal waves of sand and gravel spraying out all around them.

"That'll do it," Ganner gulped.

Their mounts continued to take them forward and the only sounds they heard for the next few minutes were that of their mounts and their own heavy breathing.

All three knew exactly when Zonama Onimi decided to turn his attention to them. The humming sound of airships started off as a distant drone, and then became a more persistent buzz as their recognizable shapes filled the sky. Also filling the sky were the towering figures of Fire-Breathers as they were buoyed across a seemingly liquid wave of sand.

"Last chance to break off," Cassa warned her friends, her Force-presence blazing like a sun on the darkened surface of the planet.

"And miss the work of the Yun'o?" Jae'na quipped.

"Oh, I was going to take her up on the offer," Ganner said with a weak laugh.

A glider swooped in overhead, and a lone figure leaped off it.

"Slayer!" Jae'na hissed as the man's purple, yorik-coral blade hummed to life.

"This way!" Cassa yanked on the reins of her beast and veered away from where the Slayer had landed.

Another glider flew by, depositing yet another Slayer in their path.

"Cassa, use your divine influence and get us out of this mess!" Ganner yelled as a third course correction resulted in another Slayer air-drop.

All the while, the approaching forces of Zonama Onimi grew ever closer.

"We just need to draw them away from our people!" Cassa yelled back.

"If you forget, Jae'na will start going all Yun-Lingni on us when her masquer fails!"

"He speaks truly," Jae'na called out. "I can already feel whispers at the edge of my thoughts."

Cassa glanced sharply to her friend, and then made a gesture that had the petite Yuuzhan Vong flying off her mount and onto Cassa's. She then shrouded her friend in a protective bubble of VongForce. "Why couldn't you and Ganner just retreat when I first ordered you to?"

"Wasn't going to lose you either, So'ran," Jae'na replied back.

"The whispers?"

"Lessened, but I can still make them out."

Cassa swore, steering her mount to avoid another Slayer air-drop. "Ganner, you keeping up?"

"Barely!"

A purple blade flashed through the air, taking out the legs of Ganner's mount. Cassa saw it in time and floated her other friend onto her now very taxed reptilian mount.

"Thanks," Ganner exhaled.

"Thank me when I find us a way out of this," Cassa remarked.

"You do realize the shelter is in the completely opposite direction?"

"No back-seat driving!"

"The lava fields we're heading to look impassable," Jae'na remarked.

"Shush," Cassa panted, sweat beading on her forehead.

Two more purple lightsabers cut through the air, and Cassa released her built-up Force energies to knock them aside.

The young trio could only cling to their mount as Cassa urged it on as best as it could. At the same time, an idea came to her. The masquer worn by Jae'na was a Yuuzhan Vong biot. She could feel the Yuuzhan Vong in the Force.

"Jae'na take over the reins," Cassa yelled out, handing her startled friend the leather straps. "Head for that cliff there!"

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to keep us from getting killed!" Cassa closed her eyes and dropped into a trance, reaching out with her senses to the living material that was protecting Jae'na from the influences of Onimi. She could feel its presence in the Force, slightly different than other life, yet tangible all the same. She felt the way it moved, the energies that it produced, and began to replicate it with her own mind.

"The cliff is coming up fast!"

"Don't distract her!"

Cassa breathed out slowly, trying to control her heart-rate even as she sensed the forces of Onimi grow ever closer. The Yuuzhan Vong masquer had accepted her mental presence, shared with her its function and purpose. Cassa told it that she wanted to have a similar purpose, wanted to shield against the yammosk-like waves produced by the planet. The masquer was happy to have another assist in its goal.

"Cliff, cliff, cliff!"

Cassa's eyes snapped back open and she grabbed both friends. 'Jump!"

The lizard-mount went over the edge with the three teens. And that was the last the pursuing Slayers and all-seeing Onimi saw and felt of the trio.

 **LotJB[Chapter End]LotJB**

 **A\N:** Well, here's an update….hope you all liked it. Unlike canon's use of Flow-walking, flow-walking in this story is going to be more innocent in nature (at least for as far as I have planned). This won't be the last time Kani appears…

Apologies in advance if there are a few more typos than usual...currently living with the worst air-quality on the planet and my lungs were already miserable before that so I haven't been feeling the best of late...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **LotJB[I]LotJB**

She heard the alarms blaring outside. Heard the mad scramble of security staff and orders barked over the intercom. She knew the traitors had made their move. Before she could commit herself to her next move, however, the door to her prison cell slid open. Blinking, Syal Antilles stared at the person responsible.

Her jaw dropped.

"Myri?"

"Hiya, sis. This is a rescue, come on," Myri Antilles smiled back in her stolen CCCP uniform.

Syal staggered to her feet. "How? Lord Rexus..."

"Blew up my speeder. Going to need to expense it," Myri handed Syal a blaster. "We don't have long before central security realizes the cameras are looped."

Syal emerged from the cell to see the quartet of guards in the hall all down.

"Stunned," Myri said simply. She used a key card to access the next portion of the prison. "Blaster fire would have echoed like crazy down here."

"Uh huh," Syal said, still stunned by her little sister's vitality. She glanced at the blaster Myri had given her, and then at her sister's back as Myri began unlocking another cell. "How did you survive?"

"Took the basement exit. Had my speeder rigged with a hospital simulcron," Myri explained. The door to the cell slid open. "Hiya Master Horn, Master Horn's wife. Wraith Squadron Special Extraction Services here to cater to your every need during this escape."

"Thank you." Mirax Terrik, tired and dirty, cricked her head from side to side as she emerged from the cell. "Mind getting the collar?"

"Lemme see. Oooo, a CNS-linked det-charge with remote and location-based detonators. Even has a steelsilk sheath around a tripartite circuit system," Myri breathed out. "Too bad Weapon's Boy isn't here. He'd geek out."

"As opposed to what you're doing," Corran said flatly. "Please remove the bomb-collar from my wife's neck."

"Sure, sure," Myri said, pulling out two tools. "A bit of bioxite to freeze the circuits and make the sheath brittle. Then an ionizer to shake things up. Sorry, Mrs. Horn, but since the thing is hooked up to your central nervous system, you might feel a small jolt right about...now."

"Ow," Mirax grimaced, jerking as if she had just been electrocuted.

"Sorry," Myri began humming.

"You're humming now?" Corran glowered.

"Syncing my motions to the frequency of the circuit," Myri replied between hums. "Don't want me to mess up, right. It should be around seventy to eighty hertz, unless they used a completely obscure frequency."

"Honey, let the nice intelligence operative do her work," Mirax chided. "It's literally my head on the line."

"Aaaaand, there," Myri said, stepping back as the collar fell away.

Mirax groaned in relief, rubbing at her neck. "Thanks."

"Where's the rest of your unit?" Corran asked.

"Probably somewhere in Coronet," Myri shrugged. "This was kind of an unsanctioned duo op. My partner wanted me to give you this by the way."

Corran stared at the One Sith lightsaber Myri was holding. "Your partner?"

"Mhmm, your daughter. She's busy keeping the Red-Blades busy while I save our families. Speaking of, do you know where my mom and dad are? Their cells were empty."

"Lord Rexus took them towards a holding room for the ceremonies," Mirax supplied, pointing back up the way Myri had come. "And you came with just Jysella? Just the two of you? You're crazier than I thought."

"Thanks."

The group of escapees and their rescuer heard several hollow thumps resonate through the walls. And then a new set of alarms began to blare throughout the base.

"It looks like your daughter learned how to be subtle from you," Mirax said to her husband, picking up a blaster from one of the stunned guards.

"She gets that from Booster," Corran protested. "The man couldn't be subtle if his life depended on it. He painted his Star Destroyer bright red!"

"He was a con-man. He had to be subtle!"

"I arrested him! He wasn't that subtle. And besides, isn't Jysella _our_ daughter."

"Ahem," Myri cleared her throat. "Escape now, argue like an old married couple later?"

"Right, sorry. We're kind of new to the whole getting rescued thing," Mirax apologized. She spotted Myri's sister. "Oh and you must be Wedge and Iella's other daughter. Syal, right?"

"Mirax."

"Don't 'Mirax' me. We all make mistakes."

Syal smiled faintly at the two of them, briefly reminded of a moment her parents had when she had told them she had signed up for Galactic Alliance Starfighter command. The smile faded as quick as it came though, her gaze darting back to the blaster in her hand and the one she felt tucked into her boot.

"Hallway's clear," Myri called out from the entryway into the detention area. She plugged a datapad into a nearby port. "Okay, got the holding cell location. If you feel like escaping now, there's a military skiff in the hangar three levels down. It's prepped to go."

"We'll stick around. Been a while since Wedge and I talked," Corran shook his head. He hefted his weapon. "Where'd Jysella get this lightsaber anyways?"

"Red-Blade gave it to her," Myri supplied. "She caused him to see the error of his ways."

The group hustled through the hallways. As they rounded a corner, however, they came face-to-face with a full squadron of CCCP soldiers.

"There they are! Blast them!"

Corran stepped forward, the red blade of his lightsaber deflecting the bolts back into the shooters. The narrow hallway meant that the blaster bolts didn't have any room to get by. At the same time, Myri and Mirax opened fire with their blasters, dropping the others. The skirmish was short and fierce.

"Syal, you okay?" Myri glanced to her sister.

Syal had spent the entire gunfight with blaster raised, but hadn't pulled the trigger once. "I...yes..."

They continued on, the alarms blaring and red lights flashing along every corridor.

"Cover!" Corran hissed.

The group quickly pressed themselves into a nearby sideroom as many more soldiers, along with Force-users began hurrying down the hallway.

"They've definitely split up," one of the passing guards said grimly. "They may be headed to levels five and six now."

" _Roger, we'll try to cut them off at the hangar bays._ "

"Any word from Darth Moderus or Lord Rexus?"

" _Standing orders only. Find and eliminate the insurrectionists like usual. They still want to carry out the executions on schedule._ "

The guards rushed by Corran's mind-tricks keeping them from paying any attention to the quartet of individuals in the room they were passing.

Syal saw Myri check the time. "What's wrong?"

"If they're keeping to the schedule, we have less than an hour to save mom and dad," Myri said grimly. "No way are we going to let the Red-Blades turn them into propaganda."

"We better keep moving then." Corran opened the door and peeked outside. "All clear."

Another distant explosion rumbled through the base.

Corran, Mirax, and Myri stepped out into the hallway.

And a blaster sounded.

Myri staggered, bracing herself against the opposite wall in shock at the white hot pain that coursed through her. The blaster roared again, and Myri gasped at a second source of burning agony in her back. Weakly, she looked over her shoulder and saw Syal standing, face impassive, her blaster still smoking.

"Syal?" Her eyes then rolled up into her head and she lost consciousness.

 **I-I-I-I-I**

Jysella yanked open another fuse box and gripped the live leads, using the Force to absorb the energy before sending it back and overloading the systems the box was connected to. A sense of satisfaction flooded her as explosions rippled through the floor she was on, light fixtures blowing out, computers erupting in a shower of sparks.

She proceeded down the hallway, her long brown hair flowing loosely as showers of sparks rained down in behind her. The few One Sith and CCCP personnel unfortunate enough to cross her path were left in her wake as well. She wasn't trying to be stealthy at all any more, was letting her Force presence radiate outwards with unmistakable malice. The One Sith had come to _her_ planet, had destroyed _her_ home, and were now trying to kill what was left of her family? She was definitely not having any of that.

She stepped out into the mess hall where countless soldiers had been trying to get a meal in before the official broadcast of the 'execution of the traitors of Corellia'. Her arrival was announced by the doors to the mess blowing inwards as if a bomb went off. Through the cloud of dust and debris, she emerged, still clad in black, One Sith attire.

"Hello boys and girls," Jysella said coolly, her eyes devoid of emotion as she stepped into the darkened mess hall. "It'd be lovely if you just killed each other."

The Force-command rippled outwards. The weak-minded of the crowd immediately did as ordered, leaping onto their neighbors with dinner forks or knives. Some who had come with their sidearms, began firing indiscriminately on the others. A few who had managed to resist the commands didn't last long as they disappeared under the mass of the others.

Jysella strode through the mess-hall as the chaos she had unleashed unfolded all around her. She stepped over bodies, dodged dish-plates being used as deadly projectiles. All the while continuing to reinforce her command through the Force. When she reached the other side of the hall, she looked back over at the crowd.

"Thank you kindly. Enjoy the rest of your meal." She released her hold over the minds of the now very traumatized survivors and stepped out into the next hallway.

There she was greeted by a trio of lightsaber-wielding One Sith.

"Jedi scum," one snarled.

Jysella raised an eyebrow. "How original."

Their red blades flared to life. Her saberstaff responded in kind. And without another word between them, they rushed each other. One of the dark siders sent a nearby bench flying at Jysella, another sent a rack of holomags at her. Jysella launched herself off the ground in an acrobatic flip and sailed between the two projectiles. When she landed, her saber promptly intercepted two of theirs, knocking them away and parrying the attack from the third.

The dark Jedi attacked again, but she pirouetted and dropped into a perfect split. Their blades hit nothing but air. Her yellow blades bisected the mid-section of two of them at the same time. The third tried to slash at her once more, and she went from her split position into a rolling leg-sweep. Avoided the sweep by leaping upwards. He managed to bat aside her upward thrust, but at the same time couldn't avoid her second blade. The last dark Jedi emitted a strangled gurgle as his downward momentum impaled him on the opposite side of Jysella's saberstaff.

Jysella deactivated her blade and the last dark Jedi's body fell to the ground. Straightening, she heard the door to the mess-hall open behind her and glanced over her shoulder. Some of the surviving CCCP soldiers took one look at her, at the dead One Sith, and promptly backed away.

Smugly, Jysella sent a congratulatory message into the minds for their wise choice, just to mess with them, and continued her reign of destruction. When her path took her into one of the command and control centers, sufficiently shorted out thanks to another ruined fuse box, she felt the Force pulse in warning.

She quickly dove to the side as a super-heated metal slug ripped through one of the duracrete walls next to her. The round fragmented, sending shards of duracrete raining down on her. Another round blew through the same wall, this time skipping off another wall in ricochet. Jysella was forced to roll to the side as the round tumbled at lethal speeds into the space she had been lying down in.

"Great, a Force-using sniper," she huffed, blowing strands of hair out of her face.

A third shot severed the cords holding up a ceiling monitor, and Jysella tumbled forward as it came crashing down.

As she stood she caught a glimpse of the shot's path. The powerful round had blown through three walls and had still managed to hit its target. She let loose a particularly vile Corellian epithet as another round drilled through an already made hole, bounced twice, and nearly took off her foot. And she still hadn't seen her assailant.

Sprinting out of the control room, Jysella leaped into a diving roll to avoid a succession of shots. Each one sending pieces of duracrete flying, with some cutting her face. She let the Force guide her, willing it to take her to the annoying One Sith that was shooting at her.

Two more dark Jedi rushed around the corner, and she barely activated her lightsaber in time to block their strikes. As she did, however, the Force pulsed in warning. She couldn't break the lock fast enough and she was staggered backwards as a white-hot metal slug lanced through her right shoulder. The two dark Jedi pressed the attack, and Jysella was forced backwards as she tried to adapt to her now useless right arm.

Another metal slug zipped through the walls, this one skimming across the tops of her thighs as she pivoted to stop the lightsaber strikes of her two attackers. The flash of pain dropped her to the ground, and she narrowly avoided being beheaded.

Rage filled her, and she entered the mind of the weaker of the two dark Jedi. Just as his partner was raising his saber to finish Jysella off, her puppet plunged his own saber into his partner's chest. Jysella then sprung to her feet and grabbed the other dark Jedi as he recovered from the mental domination.

The sniper had fired again, and Jysella used the dark Jedi as a shield. She let the body fall, and continued towards the source of the sniper fire.

The Force took her into what looked like a massive storage warehouse.

Standing atop one of the crates, leaning against an absurdly-large plasma rifle was the One Sith she recognized as Lord Rexus.

"Oh, well done." The dark Jedi said mildly. "I really thought I had you back in that hallway. Your powers of mental manipulation are just like your brother's no doubt."

"Thank you," Jysella glowered. She activated her saberstaff, but because her right arm hung uselessly at her side, only turned on one of the yellow blades. "That really hurt you know."

"My apologies. My intention was to kill you." Lord Rexus set his sniper rifle down and drew his own lightsaber.

Jysella's eyes narrowed at the slight curve in the hilt and fought back her dismay. She had hoped that a sniping dark Jedi meant a very bad up-close and personal fighter. But the One Sith's saber was designed specifically for saber-to-saber combat.

"You can give up, you know. In your current state, you're no match for me." Lord Rexus dropped down to the ground, his own black cape flowing with the motion.

"Probably not," Jysella shrugged. "But if I die, I die. At least I'll be at my brother's side again."

Lord Rexus chuckled deeply. "Oh, if only you knew how untrue that statement is, Jedi."

Before Jysella could register his words, she was hit with a Force wave that lifted her off her feet and slammed her into a nearby cargo-crate. Her injured legs and shoulder flared and she nearly passed out from the pain. Just as her vision began to return to her, Lord Rexus whipped her around and slammed her into another cargo-crate. She gasped in agony, her saber falling from her grasp.

The sound of a lightsaber activating weakly pulled her back from passing out, and she saw the red glow of Rexus' blade held up.

"But never let it be said that I wasn't a gentleman. If you wish to die, so be it."

Jysella let her eyes fall close again. Despite the pain she was feeling, a serene peace flooded her. It was going to be over shortly. She didn't have to suffer any long. She welcomed the Force and its embrace.

And then another saber activated and she felt Lord Rexus' life-force flutter out.

With his death, she was deposited unceremoniously on the ground. She gasped again, forcing herself into a seated position with her good hand and leaned back against the cargo-crate. The first thing she noticed was Lord Rexus' head, no longer attached to the rest of him. The next thing she noticed was the black-robed figure who had been the target of her anger and hate since the One Sith had arrived.

"Darth Moderus," Jysella wheezed out, his dark side aura oppressive and unmistakable.

"Jedi Horn," the masked Darth answered in turn, inclining his head. "You still have a little ways to go before the Force can take you, Sella."

Jysella jerked as if electrocuted, an icy feeling coursing through her veins. "What did you say?"

"You can't die just yet," The man she knew as Darth Moderus reached up and removed his mask. "You still have a planet to save."

Terror gripped her, her mouth wordlessly opening and closing as she stared at the man before her. "No...no...you...you died. You're dead. You're not Valin..."

"Not anymore," Darth Moderus said softly. "I'm Darth Moderus now, leader of the One Sith on Corellia. Nice to see you again, little sister."

 **LotJB[II]LotJB**

"Everyone check in," Janek Skywalker said into his helmet-comm. His friends reported in in short order, starting with Ryza and ending with San're. "Okay, remember the plan. Vekki's got the routes wired into our pods, and we've got something the other teams don't. Nothing to lose."

" _I thought you were going to say 'the Force',_ " Jesmin said sarcastically. " _But 'nothing to lose' works too. Remember guys, this is for my brother and Kyrelle._ "

The signal to start the engines of their pod-racers was given and a riotous noise went up as eight teams of five pods each powered up. The crowds all around began to cheer, and the Troig announcer began introducing each of the teams in both Basic and Huttese.

Janek felt his pulse thrum and he just had to smile as the adrenaline flooded his system. Though he had never pod-raced before, he could already feel the exhilaration and energies coursing from the crowd. The pod-racers his team had weren't exactly top-of-the-line, but Vekki had performed enough tweaks to them that he was confident that they had a fighting chance.

He looked across the line at the other pods in lead position. There was an Er'kit team, a Bardottan/Xexto mixed team, a team of Dugs, a team of Gran, an Aleena team, a Vulptereen squad, and a team, surprisingly enough, of Gamoreans. The other lead racers stared each other down, some sneering at the human plus one Nautolan team. Engines were revved, pit-droids were performing last minute maintenance, and the entire atmosphere was intoxicating.

" _Janek, you are not retiring from the Jedi to become a full-time pod-racer_ ," Ryza said over the comm as his thoughts leaked out into their modified Battlemeld.

"What! I'd be good at it. It's almost like it's in my blood or something."

" _That's not the point_."

The flag bearers were given the signal to leave the track, and they did so in a hurry. The team of young Force-users quickly refocused as the starting lights turned on. In a skybox right above the lights, a sextet of Hutts looked on. One gave a nod of approval and the lights began to count down.

Janek felt his heart pound within his chest. _Three...Two...One..._ He jammed the throttle of his racer forward as the timer hit zero. Immediately his and every other pod lurched forward down the track. Due to the dangerous atmosphere of the planet, their pods were enclosed, but that still didn't lessen the intense sensation of being propelled nearly three-hundred kilometers an hour over a barren surface.

The Dug and Gamorean teams took the lead, three of their five darting out ahead of the pack. The rest were in a tight cluster as they stayed on the narrow track.

" _Whoa! This is intense!_ " Naeli yelped, her speeder jostling for position with one of the Grans.

" _Stay together_ ," Jesmin reminded, though her focus was more on the two other racers trying to crash her pod.

" _Okay team you have the first hazard coming up fast_ ," Vekki reported over the comm, following their progress on a vid-screen back in their hangar. " _Sharp curve to the right. Accelerate out of the turn to hit the gap. If you can make it over the edge and not into the subterranean caverns you can avoid the lava traps._ "

"Got it, thanks Vekki," Janek replied back. He felt the others through the Force and bolstered their confidence as a blind-turn came up only a few seconds later. He pulled on the steering column and his speeder swung around at break-neck speeds. The others followed suit. But not all the pods cleared the hazard. Ben didn't know which team it was, but there were two bright flashes of light as two pods couldn't make the turn in time. He didn't even have a second to ponder the loss of life as he followed Vekki's instructions and pushed his throttle to full.

His pod jerked him back into his seat as it lurched forward out of the turn, and then became airborne as it roared off the incline. His wasn't the only one. Many of the pods shot out into the air. The others were angling for the lower tunnels that had actually been created by Yuuzhan Vong rockeaters during the war. Everyone made it to their intended targets with no loss of life.

Almost everyone.

" _Guys, I missed the jump_ ," San're reported. " _I'm with the rest of the pack in the lava tubes._ "

" _I followed him down. Just stay focused on your part of the course and we'll try not to get cooked down here_ ," Jesmin added.

Janek swallowed, steering to avoid several rock formations. "I copy. Be careful down there you two. Vekki, what can we expect up here?"

" _'Kay, you topside guys be careful to, we have terraformers moving in a crisscrossing pattern and the atmosphere is toxic for the next fifteen kilometers. The emergency environmental shields I installed should keep you safe from any small breaches. Just don't get your canopy ripped open or anything like that._ "

"Terraformers, that it?"

" _You avoided the lava, but there are still magma vents in the area,_ " Vekki said worriedly. " _The screen doesn't show where though, so trust in the Force_. _Jesmin, San're you guys have a series of hardened rock islands floating on a river of lava coming up. Quick bursts with your accelerator should help you leap-frog the moving rocks._ "

" _Copy, Vekki, thanks!"_

"Avoid terraformers, toxic air, avoid magma vents, got it. This isn't so bad."

And then the terraformers came into view as they ascended a rise in the course. They were monstrous machines that lumbered through the skies spewing walls of energy several dozen meters thick and twice that long. The ground where the energy walls hit steamed and crackled, in some cases actually igniting. As the racers approached, a switch was flipped and the energy wall emitters began to spin like deadly fans and the terraformers themselves picked up speed.

"Spoke too soon," Janek moaned. He hit the comm. "Ryza, Naeli, stick close. This is going to be a pain."

The two other pods from his team managed to form up in a precision maneuver capable only because they could use the Force. The other teams either mimicked the maneuver or split apart in an every-pod-for-themselves tactic.

Neither appeared to have any advantage.

One spinning energy wall closed in on a trio of pods not unlike Janek's group. The bunched up pods veered to avoid it, only to be sandwiched by another terraformer. In a flash, all three pods were incinerated. Another team that had split apart had only slightly better luck. Slightly in that they had lasted longer than the incinerated team, but an erupting magma vent wiped out one, a terraformer got another, and the third steered into the pod of another team to avoid another terraformer.

Janek was breathing heavily as he tried to keep up with the actions of the rotating beams of energy all around them. His heart thudded with every loss of life that flashed through the Force, each one raising the stakes and reminding him that this was no game. Distantly he could feel San're and Jesmin handle their own gauntlet of lava falls and rivers, but he couldn't worry about it at the moment.

" _Janek!_ " Ryza called out in warning as they narrowly avoided a venting magma tube.

The youngest Skywalker yelled out as the tail end of a spinning energy wall grazed their group. Their environmental shields flared opaque and collapsed, the exteriors of their pods receiving a thorough decontamination from the brief exposure and heated to red hot. Fortunately the encounter didn't last long and was at the edge of the sterilizing wall of energy. Their tight formation also meant that their environmental shielding had overlapped and lasted crucial fractions of a second longer than normal. The team emerged more than a little terrified at their near brush with death and with the cleanest racers in the pack.

" _Let's not do that again,_ " Naeli whimpered.

"Agreed," Janek exhaled.

" _You're almost through the terraforming fields, five more klicks to go,_ " Vekki informed them. " _Then its the Crater Run_."

The group somehow managed to emerge from the field of death intact, as did some of the others who had chosen the surface route. But many of the others hadn't made it through, proving why the races on Nar Shadda were now known for their lethality.

The next part of the course stretched on ahead, a swath of land as far as the eye could see filled with city-block-sized craters. The race course was marked with hovering beacons, the racers expected to steer around, down and out of, and between the crater-filled landscape.

Janek refocused on the course and pushed his speeder's throttle back up to full. His group was now in the lead, with a duo of Dug pods and one Gamorean falling in behind them. Bringing up the middle were four Vulptereen pods. A little further behind was a single Er'kit and one Gran. On his mental checklist that meant that the Xexto/Bardottan and Aleena team had lost three apiece at the very least.

The pack hit the first of many sharp turns around the wide craters, the zigging and zagging tested the structural integrity of the pods. The last surface Er'kit pod had apparently suffered damage in the terraform segment because after the fifth neck-wrenching turn, the power-coupling between his engines gave out, sending both engines flying off and his cockpit flying into one of the crater walls.

The course took the remainder of the pack down the side of a larger crater, the team whipping around the inside at a couple hundred kilometers an hour. The pods within the pack used the chance to jostle for position, with one of the Dugs forcing a Vulptereen pod into the wall in a fatal collusion. The last surface Gran pod tried to do the same to another Vulptereen pod, only for the Vulptereen to hit the brakes and send the last Gran pod shooting past him and off the track. A distant fireball marked the demise of the Gran, as the rest of the pack continued their spiraling descent.

As they reached the bottom, Janek felt San're and Jesmin draw close and wildly looked around for any sign of them. And then the pods that had chosen the subterranean route burst out of a cave that had been well hidden in the shadow of the crater.

Janek and the others let out surprised cries, struggling to stay on course as the new pack tried to merge with the passing pack. One of the emerging racers slammed into one of the Dug racers in a massive fireball that sent a third speeder veering off course and into the crater's center. The rest, after some close calls, formed up, and soon the surviving speeders were racing through a short tunnel into another crater and heading upwards again.

"Nice of you to join us," Janek said to San're and Jesmin. "Your pods look a little toasty."

" _Splashing lava does that_ ," Jesmin said dryly. " _You guys ruined your paint jobs too_."

"Berserk terraforming machines do that," Janek laughed.

The speeders cleared the crater and entered into another series of back and forth turns.

" _Careful guys, Karaaga's Run is coming up and the Fire-Breather is said to be somewhere in the area_ ," Vekki warned anxiously. " _And several skiffs with thugs are camping in the area too._ "

"Your brother better be very thankful for this," Janek groaned.

" _I know,_ " Jesmin said, her senses stretching out to detect any threats.

As the pack dipped back down into another crater, the thugs made their presence known. Hovering dead-center in the crater, they began taking pot-shots at the passing pods.

Janek let out a cry as one particular shot ricocheted off his cockpit, leaving a spidery crack. "Blasted nerf-herders!"

More pings and clashes as the rounds stitched the fast-moving group. None of the pods were destroyed, but more than a few received varying amounts of damage.

The pods ascended again for another round of turns, before the route promptly turned into a stomach churning near-ninety-degree slope.

Janek felt himself inhale sharply as his pod dropped down, accelerating even faster than before. And then the Fire-Breather appeared. Its mass of tentacles swept out across the track shortly before it released a burst of flammable gas and liquid. Janek and those at the front of the pack managed to get clear. The ones at the back weren't so lucky. Already traveling at high speeds, two more speeders slammed into the creature's out-stretched tentacles. Another three were engulfed in its fiery attack and exploded, shrapnel flying everywhere.

The pack finished the downward drop and the momentum carried them up an almost equally steep climb, launching them all airborne for a few seconds. Each of them had to make a quick, controlled thrust to land safely, and they did.

" _Home stretch now team_ ," Vekki said breathlessly.

Against all odds, Janek could feel every single one of his friends still alive as they reformed. Of the forty pods that had started the match, there were only seventeen left. The Dugs still had two, the Gamoreans with an amazing three, the Vulptereen had three as well, the Gran had two, and one apiece for the Er'kit and Aleena teams.

With the only obstacles left being rock formations and bubbling pools of sulfuric acid across a flat tundra of deadened planet, it really did look like they were home free.

And then the Dugs decided to play dirty. The two survivors sped up on either side of the lead Gamorean racer. Jets of flames fired out of a side compartment on their engines, and the Gamorean's own engine compartment erupted violently.

Janek saw all this in his rear camera and gritted his teeth as the Gamorean pod exploded from the flame-throwers. "Damn, watch it, the Dugs are playing dirty."

" _They aren't the only ones!_ " Ryza yelled out, her pod's energy link disrupted by an ion dart released by a Vulptereen racer. Her engines were threatening to break away as it took every ounce of control she had to keep from driving into a pool of acid. " _Damn it, I can't recover!"_

Janek felt his stomach clench painfully and he abruptly slammed his brakes on, steering his pod towards Ryza's increasingly ballistic one. "Ryza! Hang on, I'm coming!"

" _They got me too!_ " Naeli wailed in distress. One whole engine block sputtering out from yet another ion dart.

" _Stay on Durron!"_ Jesmin yelled, able to see Janek's plan through their meld. " _I got Naeli_. _San're take the lead and watch out for the Dugs and Vulptereens!_ "

" _Got it!_ "

Janek, in the meantime, steered his pod right up alongside Ryza's, the sides bumping in the process. He frantically tried to stay along side her pod, but her situation was rapidly deteriorating.

" _Skywalker, break off before you get us both killed!_ " Ryza yelled out. He could feel her despair as well as her panic as the reality that she might die in the race set in.

"Not going to happen. Hold your breath and pop your canopy," Janek ordered.

Ryza caught onto his plan between her fits of manic panic. " _Oh, you are one crazy son of a..._ "

"Hey, that's my mom you're talking about. Now pop the canopy!"

Ryza complied, using the emergency lever to send her canopy flying off. She quickly undid her safety restraints and unsteadily rose to her feet even as her pod's engines began to disintegrate without her Force control holding them together. Janek attached the emergency breathmask to his face and slid his own canopy back. Ryza leaped off her doomed pod just as the engines ripped away from the cockpit and the cockpit itself was sent hurtling into a rock formation.

Ryza landed on the back of Janek's speeder and promptly crawled into the cockpit, fitting into his lap.

"Nice of you to drop in," Janek remarked in relief, sliding the canopy shut again.

"Shut up," Ryza said petulantly. She removed his breathmask and gave him a searing kiss. "Thanks for saving me."

"My pleasure," Janek remarked with a cocky smile, steering his pod back onto the course. He mentally reviewed his situation. On the plus side, he now had a petite, teenage girl in his arms. On the downside, pods weren't exactly meant for two people...or maybe that was a plus side too. In any case, his pod dropped to the back of the pack along with Jesmin and and successfully rescued Naeli.

In doing so they had front-row seats of the demolition competition the Dugs and Vulptereens were dishing out. The two Dugs had preempted the Vulptereen and slid alongside one each, their flame jets blasting at the cockpits of their rivals. One heavily beaten Vulptereen pod succumbed, blowing up in a fireball that sent racer-parts flying in its wake. The last Aleena pod couldn't get clear in time and spun out of control as the debris ripped apart its engines. The third Vulptereen pod retaliated with an ion dart to the offending Dug speeder that dropped it in its tracks. The last two Gamoreans, not to be left behind, closed out the dueling Dug and Vulptereen racers, forcing both into a rocky column that collapsed on impact. The rest of the pack burst out of the cloud of dust that followed, jockeying for position as the finish line came into view.

Through it all, Janek could see San're skillfully weave in and out of the melee, using the Force to keep himself from becoming a target as he leaped out into the lead.

"Go San're!" Janek cheered.

Hot in pursuit in second place was the last Er'kit racer, who had likewise avoided the deadly scrum and was simply trying to stay alive. As if realizing the human plus Nautolan team was going to win due to having three pods left and positional first place, the others quickly dropped back.

"Oh, not good," Ryza breathed out.

The pair of Gamoreans and the last Vulptereen all headed for Janek and Ryza's racer.

"Jesmin, get across the finish line," Janek directed. "We'll figure something out back here."

" _Got it!_ "

"We will?" Ryza arched an eyebrow at him. "This pod is moving slower than a Hutt on a diet!"

"Not my fault the pod is overweight."

"Oh Skywalker, you did not just say that."

"Trying to keep us alive here!"

The Vulptereen pod fired off another ion dart, and either luck or the Force, it hit in the exact same spot the thugs had targeted and wedged in the spidery cracks of the canopy. The Gamorean pods, just as big as their drivers, moved in to sandwich Janek and Ryza. Janek hit the brakes, causing Ryza to squawk like an angry bird, and the two, green pig-driven racers nearly collided with each other. Another ion dart pinged off the side of Janek's speeder.

"You do know that if that guy gets lucky, we're out of speeders," Ryza breathed out.

"We have two smelly pigs trying to smash us and an alligator trying to ionize us to death. Which one do you prefer?"

"Let the piggies get closer, I have an idea."

"Death by smooshing it is." Janek deliberately angled his racer away from the Vulptereen, finding himself back between the two Gamoreans once more.

"Ryza..."

"Shush, focusing," Ryza snapped back.

"Focusing on what?" The two Gamoreans veered in, their pods slamming into his and jostling both he and Ryza. The Gamoreans pulled out, and then veered in once more, the impact causing several alarms to go off.

"One more pass," Ryza muttered under her breath.

The Gamoreans moved in for the third time, but this time, when they impacted against Janek's racer, parts of their speeder got caught up with parts of his. They tried to pull away, but their speeders were too tangled.

"Gotcha," Ryza said vindictively. She placed her hand over Janek's and set their own throttle to full once more.

The sudden acceleration ripped apart the tangled components and both Gamorean speeders were sent flying off across the landscape. One disintegrated in the process, the cockpit catapulting into the air. The other ran smack into a large boulder that annihilated both in a bright ball of fire. The last Vulptereen pod decided it had enough and accelerated towards the finish line instead.

"Wooohoooo!" Ryza pumped a fist into the air. "Yeah!"

Janek laughed out along with her, then swallowed heavily as she turned to straddle him. "Durron, whatcha doing?"

"Celebrating our victory before Ms. Commando can," Ryza grinned, grabbing his head and kissing him once more.

Janek could only groan, a small part of him somehow managing to stay focus on the track and guide their battered racer towards the finish line. Podracers definitely left very little make-out room, he decided. Left absolutely no room to hide any reactions caused by said make-out session. Ryza's eyes glinted knowingly as she looped her arms over his shoulders and made herself a bit more comfortable in an act that involved a lot of shifting in his lap.

"You're going to kill me, Ryza," Janek said hoarsely.

"But you'll die oh so happy," Ryza smiled, centimeters from his lips.

"I thought you weren't the sort of girl to kiss the sort of guy like me."

"Changed my mind," Ryza shrugged, giving him a lighter kiss. "I'm a girl, I'm allowed to."

" _You two are still hooked up to the Battlemeld you know_ ," Jesmin's dry voice came over the comm.

Ryza gripped the mic, her dark eyes holding Jacen's slightly glazed gaze. "I know."

"Never mind, Jesmin's the one that'll be doing the killing," Janek swallowed heavily.

Their pod crossed the finish line, coming in fifth place out of the five surviving pods.

" _Congratulations guys, we won!_ " Vekki called out excitedly.

"Great," Janek exhaled. He checked his rear-view monitor as the brushes with death began to register. "Yay. We won."

" _You don't sound happy._ "

"Yeah," Janek breathed out once more. "Let's just say I think I'm hanging up my racing gloves after this."

 **LotJB[III]LotJB**

Ben Skywalker sat in the cockpit of the _Dawn_ staring out into space. He had given up on the Jedi. Had given up on the military. Was close to giving up altogether. Kani had told him to live his life for the both of them, and that was the only thing keeping him sane. He absently watched the distant cloud-like nebula in the distance, his thoughts jumbled and confused.

Throughout his young life, the Jedi Order had given him direction, a purpose. When he abandoned the Force and flew alongside Bastian and Jessika, the military structure replaced that. But it had only been a stop-gap measure. Was his purpose truly to vape every single bad guy that flew into his sights? Without the Jedi Order, he had no identity any more. He was just Ben Skywalker...eighteen year old nobody.

Ben Skywalker, older brother of Janek Skywalker, a fifteen year old kid who was doing Jedi things and making the galaxy a better place. Ben Skywalker, son of Mara and Luke, Jedi Master extraordinaires defending the galaxy from the dark side and all manner of evil. Ben Skywalker, friend of Kani and Cappricia, dead Jedi who could have gone on to do great things if the Force had let them.

"What am I doing here, Kani?" Ben whispered softly. Having jumped from Ossus with no pre-set destination in mind, he had followed the Salin Corridor and emerged in the Sriluur system at the edge of Hutt Space.

He knew the history of Sriluur. Had to have studied it when his last mission with Kani, Cappricia, Josat, and Jun had been to the Periphery to help mediate a peace agreement. He knew that during the Yuuzhan Vong War, Sriluur had been conquered, crushed, and Vongformed. Nevertheless, the native Weequay had persisted, still called the planet home. It had once been a harsh desert planet, but the Vongforming had brought rain and forests and all sorts of Yuuzhan Vong lifeforms. There was even a Yuuzhan Vong colony on the planet.

Ben closed his eyes at the memories. It had been the last time all his friends had been alive. Though it was barely a handful of months ago, it seemed like another time, another life. They had all been naive, innocent in many ways. Believed that what they were doing was actually making a difference in the galaxy. That the Force actually cared about their actions.

" _Hey Kani, my family's going to the reopening of Coruscant in a couple of weeks. Want to come with?"_

" _You sure, Skywalker? Wasn't it a family-only invite that Head of State Hamner sent?"_

" _Don't worry, I'll get mom and dad to clear it. I think dad and Uncle Han have a meeting with the Baran Do sages a couple days before. We'll swing by Ossus to pick you up."_

" _Hey how come she rates an invite?"_

" _She's a lot better looking than you, Chatterbox."_

" _You're so lucky! The reopening of Coruscant is going to go down in history as one of the turning points in this galaxy. The rebirth of a planet that was historically the center of everything for millennia."_

" _Yes, yes, we know, Fishsticks. It was kind of the point of Hamner inviting my family and all the Solos too."_

" _I know, it's just...Kani, you have to take pictures, record the speeches. I'll add it to the data archive I'm making."_

" _You still have a couple years before you become a fish, Cappricia."_

" _Yeah, but once I'm a fish, I can't collect information from all over the galaxy, can I? When it is my time, I'll be able to take the data archive with me and the Melodie can learn all about the galaxy and its history. They'll see holos of the important people, of the places I've seen. They'll even learn about you guys because of the interviews you gave. I haven't thanked you enough for those by the way."_

" _Don't remind me of those. I looked horrible on holo."_

" _You look horrible in general, Furball."_

" _Really Josat?"_

" _You started it."_

" _Ignoring our comic relief, if I can get you in, do you want to come, Kani?"_

" _You just want someone to protect you from the boring politicians."_

" _Well yeah, and to keep me from getting us into another crazy mission."_

" _Sure, Skywalker, I'm in. Better not be late."_

" _I know better than to stand you up."_

Ben opened his eyes, feeling the silent tears trail down his face mix with a pained smile. He set Sriluur as his destination and piloted his ship towards the changed world.

His sensors pinged in warning and he shook himself from his memories. "What?"

There were several ships orbiting the planet. Ordinarily it wouldn't have fazed Ben, traders and security vessels were common all over Hutt Space. It was even more so in the Periphery, the gateway to the rest of Hutt Space. But the ships he was picking up were definitely not Hutt ships. In fact, he was pretty sure that the light debris field he was picking up were the remains of said ships.

"Kriff me," Ben sighed, coming to a full stop. He knew that if he was in scanning range, the others could see him too. Made up of four frigates and a _Victory-_ class Star Destroyer that seemed oddly familiar, they didn't appear to be One Sith. Weren't reading as One Sith ships either. Two of the frigates were reading Centrality, while the two others were pinging back Corporate Sector Authority.

" _This is Saber Anyul of the Tribe. You are on our scopes now, identify_."

Ben felt his mouth go dry at the very accented Basic. An accent he had only heard once in the past. Coupled with the Star Destroyer, he suddenly realized who the ships belong to.

"Kriff me," Ben groaned again, letting his head roll forward in exasperation. His sensor system squawked again, informing him that the frigates had acquired locks on him. In addition, triangle-like fighters were being deployed, four from each frigate. As if it were a puzzle finally coming into focus, Ben realized that the dark Jedi he and his friends had encountered over two years ago hadn't been One Sith but an entirely new faction altogether.

"Okay _Dawn._ Let's see what you've got," Ben patted the dashboard. He set his engines to full and streaked towards Sriluur, charging down the approaching fighters at the same time.

The fighters opened fire, their green lasers lancing out. Ben sent his freighter into a barrel-roll, firing its weaponry at the same time. He pierced the first line of fighters, burning two of them and taking no damage at the same time. The remaining fighters swung back around to pursue, but he wasn't about to slow down.

The frigates moved to intercept, the Star Destroyer maneuvering to get into tractor beam range.

Knowing that his opponents were Force-sensitive, Ben didn't waste any time with fancy maneuvers or drawn out plans. He had only one goal—to get planet-side—and that was what he was going to do. He zagged around a frigate that had moved into his path, releasing a torpedo at point-blank range. The resulting explosion probably made the crew very angry as leaking atmosphere engulfed the damaged portion in flame.

The fighters followed him around the stricken ship, their lasers chewing away at his aft shields. An explosion and a blinking warning light warned him he didn't have much longer. Though the laser turrets on his ship could swivel to cover the rear, the pilots in the rest of the fighters had to be Force-sensitive or guided by one to avoid each and every shot.

Two more frigates moved to block him, their own laser cannons firing. His shield failed and one of the wings of his freighter was blown away. Ben held his course, shunting all power to the engines. He skimmed the top of one of the frigates, blowing out more circuits in his ship and leaving a streak across the frigate's topside.

Seeing the shadow of the Star Destroyer grow near, he adjusted his plan. Setting the self-destruct, he grabbed a few supplies and hurried to the escape pod. Slamming the button to release the pod as the tractor-beam took hold, he watched from the viewport of the pod as the ship that had served he and his friends was brought into the Star Destroyer. A freighter that contained so many memories and had been home for the better part of those two years. He placed a hand on the viewport and closed his eyes.

"Goodbye."

The freighter erupted in a destructive blast that ravaged the Star Destroyer's hangar. The few warheads still in its missile bay went up with it, sending spouts of flame bursting out of nearby decks and otherwise rocking the larger cruiser.

Ben refocused on the planet as reentry rocked his own craft. Somehow, in the whole Vongformed planet, he was headed for one of the few remaining stretches of sandy desert.

The Force definitely hated him.

His pod bounced off one sand dune, spun around from another, before finally coming to rest in a third. Knowing he didn't have much time, Ben grabbed his supplies and hurried out of the pod. A split second later, the triangular fighters roared in, lasers firing. Ben dove into one of the sand-dunes as his pod was blown to bits. The sand was uncomfortably hot, but it was preferable to the much hotter lasers the fighters were strafing the area with.

The fighters made another pass, but not seeing their target, abandoned their search and headed back to their motherships.

Ben waited until he could no longer hear their engines before peeking out of the sand dune. And then he saw another possible reason for why they were pulling back.

A wall of sand was rapidly heading in his direction, the sign of a powerful sandstorm.

Ben just sagged back into the sand dune. "Kriff me."

 **LotJB[IV]LotJB**

Cassa Solo grimaced as yet another piece of volcanic rock sliced into the bottom of one of her feet. There were some downsides to not wearing boots after all.

"You okay?" Ganner asked worriedly.

"Stupid rock," Cassa glowered, lifted her foot to inspect the gash.

"That one looks bad." Jae'na tore a strip of her living garment and wrapped it around Cassa's foot, its contractions sealing the injury.

"Thanks."

"Next time, I think the _So'ran_ needs to wear shoes," Ganner said lightly.

"Not a word, Ganner," Cassa glared.

"Oh, embracing pain then? I guess that makes sense," Ganner continued.

"If I didn't have to maintain the Force barrier around us I'd hit you."

"Ouch!"

"Thanks Jae'na."

"Merely fulfilling the _So'ran_ 's desires," the Yuuzhan Vong teen smirked.

"Okay, not fair," Ganner rubbed at his arms. "First off, Jae'na has those shaper attachments that make her punches _really_ hurt. And second, I need to get more male friends. In the holo-vids and stories it's always the guy, his best guy friend, and the girl who hangs out with them because she likes the hero. Why isn't it like that in real life."

"Because it's real life, dopey," Cassa rolled her eyes.

"How much longer can you maintain the barrier? Jae'na changed subjects.

Cassa immediately spun to her Yuuzhan Vong friend. "Why, are you starting to feel Onimi again?"

"Faint whispers." The Yuuzhan Vong teen replied, tense and pale.

Cassa clenched her jaw, a small wave of Force energy rippling from her. "What about now?"

"Whispers gone again," Jae'na reported, looking relieved.

"Sorry, my concentration must have slipped when I cut my foot," Cassa breathed out, looking distraught.

Jae'na quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. "No, don't apologize. If it wasn't for you, I'd be one of his mindless slaves already."

Cassa growled softly. "Not going to happen so long as I breathe."

Jae'na nodded, squeezing Cassa's hand reassuringly. "I know. Thank you, _So'ran,_ for your protection."

"We haven't gotten back to safety so don't thank me yet."

"It's still long walk back," Ganner agreed. "The sanctuary is still nowhere in sight."

"And we have no water or food," Jae'na added. "Unless you can use your divine connections to get some for us?"

Cassa saw movement on the horizon and couldn't help but smile as her heart leaped with joy. She had the best auntie in the whole galaxy. "Okay," Cassa breathed out. She closed her eyes and performed a dramatic, nonsensical waving of her hands. "By the power the Yun'o has given me, I will order a large nerf burger with a blue milk shake. If that is too much, a rescue by our allies will do."

"Maybe she got an infection from the cut," Ganner said to Jae'na

"Or is delirious from not enough water," the Yuuzhan Vong teen said in turn.

"Oh, my faithful servants doubt me, behold!" Cassa giggled, pointing to the fast approaching mount and the rescuer on it.

"Very fun...ny," Ganner's jaw dropped. "Okay, how did you do that."

"I'm very divine," Cassa struck a pose before giggling once more.

"It's the Supreme Leader!" Jae'na gaped.

Shaeri had noticed them as well and her mount darted towards them at an even quicker pace. Within a few minutes, it was sliding to a halt by the trio of young teens. The leader of the 'Enlightened' Yuuzhan Vong dismounted and wrapped Cassa up in a tight hug at a speed that would have rivaled even a Jedi's, her eyes squeezing close.

"Oh Yun'o, thank you," Shaeri breathed out, trembling like a leaf.

"I'm okay, Auntie Shaeri," Cassa said softly, embracing her 'Yuuzhan Vong mother'. "Promise."

Shaeri took a step back but still held Cassa at arm's length, visibly scanning the teen. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, child, okay?"

"Auntie Shaeri," Cassa gasped in shock, unable to remember a time Shaeri had actually yelled at her.

"If you had died because of that whole stupid _So'ran_ thing, because I had told you you had to take up that role, Yun-Yuuzhan strike me down where I stand because I'd never be able to face your parents again," Shaeri continued, practically sobbing and shaking her head.

"Auntie Shaeri, I'm okay, I'm still alive," Cassa said softly, reaching up to touch the Yuuzhan Vong woman's face.

"We're fine too by the way," Ganner spoke up, waving sheepishly.

Jae'na growled and slapped at his arm.

"Do you have to target the same arm every single time!"

"I swear, I know grutchin with more sensitivity than you," Jae'na snapped at the human teen.

Shaeri shook herself at the banter, sniffling and laughing at the same time. "I'm glad your attendants are alive too, _So'ran._ But they seem a bit mouthy, have you thought about replacing them?"

"Only every other minute," Cassa joined in the mirth. She then looked at Shaeri worriedly. "Auntie, the masquer you're wearing..."

"I have two more in my travel pack," Shaeri said, pointing to the lizard mount. "I was not going to return until I had found you."

"Oh," Cassa's heart swelled and she quickly stepped forward and hugged Shaeri tightly once more. "Thank you."

Shaeri held the teen, rubbing her back. "Your parents saved my people, Cassa. And you are like a daughter to me. Did you really think I'd do anything less?"

"Love you, Auntie Shaeri," Cassa murmured into her clothes.

Shaeri smiled. "I love you too, child."

It was then that the leader of the Enlightened Yuuzhan Vong did a double-take at Jae'na. "What of your masquer?"

"The _So'ran_ protects me," Jae'na replied, standing proudly.

"Of course," Shaeri sighed, patting Cassa's back some more. "You impossible child, so like your parents."

"What of the offensive?" Jae'na asked gently. "Were we able to save our people?"

"Indeed," Shaeri sighed again. "In addition to giving me a heart-attack when I learned that Cassa had ordered her personal guard away. When she did her thing with the powers of the gods and drew away Onimi's forces, our own people were able to recover and plant a majority of the seeds in grid one and two. Only grid three has a single seed planted. In a few days' time we should have a functional network of blind-spots from which we can continue our attack."

"It worked?" Cassa asked excitedly, stepping back once more.

"Yes, you reckless child, it worked," Shaeri glowered. "That does not give you permission to do it again. What would your parents say if they knew you had deliberately brought down the wrath of a sentient planet and its army of death-dealing puppets?"

"Probably ask me how I did it so they could do it later," Cassa said with an impish, Solo-style smile.

"I'm serious," Shaeri groaned. "I swear, you are forbidden to get into another near-death situation for the duration of my lifetime!"

"You're going to ground the _So'ran_?" Ganner asked with a laugh.

"If I have to!" Shaeri replied, before turning her wrath back on Cassa. "The next time we plot a mission you will not get a single scratch on you! Understand? Not a scratch!"

"Yes, Auntie Shaeri."

As if knowing she was only getting lip-service, Shaeri just sighed. "Come, get on board. Let's get back before my husband realizes I disobeyed his warrior-ly advice and carried out my plan anyways."

"Errr...do the others think I'm dead?" Cassa asked nervously.

"The official line is that you've ascended to the plane of the gods to do battle against the Dark One using your divinely-given powers," Shaeri said dryly, helping the teens onto the mount. "Now that you're back, you've struck a serious blow against His Darkness, allowing the plan _you_ conceived to succeed like it did."

"Got it," Cassa nodded obediently. "Who comes up with this stuff anyways?"

"The priests."

"Yup, that explains everything," Ganner rolled his eyes, the desolate landscape whipping by. "I wonder what they'll say about me and Jae'na."

"The ones that were in the weaving class are already beginning to weave a tapestry of the three of you," Shaeri answered almost reluctantly. "The two of you are next to the _So'ran_ in full divine gear."

"Really?" Jae'na gasped.

"Really," Shaeri said with zero energy. "They gave Ganner a giant rifle so large, he couldn't possibly carry in real life, and you have the full array of Shaper weaponry. The _So'ran_ is in her mother's robes, with vonduun armor covering it, lightsaber in one hand, amphistaff in the other. The three of you are on a promontory overlooking a valley of defeated servants of darkness. It's to be unveiled at the next victory feast and hang outside the _So'ran's_ abode."

"Wicked," Ganner grinned.

"Yun-Rhysode at work again," Jae'na let out a long sigh. "I'm not sure it's a good thing to have the patron god of idiots and fools on our side."

"Mom and dad will probably fall down laughing if they see it," Cassa chuckled. "Can I issue a divine order that no further tribute in that form is needed?"

"They'll build statues of you then."

"Okay, no artistic representation of me," Cassa amended.

"Then they'll dedicate abstract works of art to you." Shaeri said apologetically. "The artisan class really took off in that brief time before the Dark Witch's people took over. Your parents did emphasize non-violent ways of expressing our culture."

"So it's mom and dad's fault if they come here and see a whole bunch of statues and tapestries of me?"

"Pretty much."

Cassa hung her head while Jae'na and Ganner laughed at her predicament.

"The sanctuary is in sight!" Jae'na brightened as the looming rocky cliffs sprouted up on the horizon.

"Wonder what the reception will be like," Ganner said aloud.

"Lots of bowing, chanting, eye-averting," Shaeri shrugged. "You've all just gotten back from your divine battle with the Dark One after all."

"Can I just return to my hut and have a divine shower and rest?" Cassa said hopefully.

"You're the one who saved them all, _So'ran._ Adoring, idolizing masses first, meeting the warriors with giant coufee next, morale raising speech to everyone, a hair-raising completely fictional account of your battle with the Dark One after, allowing everyone to fawn over you for your greatness follows. Then food, a trip to the med-center to get those wounds looked at, a trip to the temple to show the masses your piety, and _then_ you can have your shower and sleep."

"You used to be my favorite auntie, what happened?"

"My adoptive daughter decided to fit into her role of divine inspiration for my people a bit too well."

"Auntie Shaeri!"

"Don't 'Auntie Shaeri' me," Shaeri said in exasperation. But then she softened her voice and looked over her shoulder at the teen clinging to her waist. "Cassa, you've given my people hope. That's something we didn't have until you came. And then, with the mission going so well against all the odds...well, you've won over anyone who might have still been doubting you. Unfortunately it means the pressure to succeed has increased exponentially. You're now a divine being in their eyes, infallible and flawless. Everyone, from the Supreme Commander to the maw luur caretaker will obey you now. I'm not telling you this to scare you, but to prepare you. If you think the pressure before was immense, then I hope you can endure what comes next. We've won one battle. We still have to win a war."

Cassa fell silent at that, the many injuries she had picked up seemingly aching more than before. She started when she felt hands touch her shoulders. Turning, she saw both Ganner and Jae'na give her nods of support. She smiled weakly back at them, but her mind was still whirling at thousands of thoughts per second. She realized that she hadn't even asked how many of their people had died during that battle she had supposedly won. Was now more than scared to find out. They had gone into battle with her 'blessing,' died despite of it. She wondered what their last thoughts had been, whether they blamed her. It was an unnerving thought.

"Looks like Supreme Commander Czalpak was about to send out a search party for you," Jae'na pointed to the array of lizard mounts just outside the main entrance. "How did you find us anyways?"

"The saber Cassa has, it's of Zonama Nen Yim," Shaeri explained. "I just talked with the Shapers connected to the dhuryam and they pointed me in the right direction."

"Lucky us," Ganner spoke.

Their mount slowed until they were met by a contingent of warriors. Czalpak was at the forefront. Legions of warriors stood on the battlements and alongside the entrance to the sanctuary. It was very clear that Czalpak had intended to go all out with ensuring his wife's safe return. But now that she had returned, those hundreds of eyes were now on her and the young teens with her.

"Husband," Shaeri greeted. "I've returned with the _So'ran_ as promised. She is a bit tired from her divine battle with the god of darkness, but that is to be expected."

"So I see," Czalpak said stone-faced.

Something in his voice had Cassa refocus her attention on the interaction. If it had been twenty years ago, she knew without a doubt that Shaeri would have been killed. Czalpak, no matter how low a warrior he had been back then, was still a warrior. Shaeri had been Shamed. For the Yuuzhan Vong, 'marriage' also wasn't part of their culture. A union where male and female were equal, where they pledged to live their lives together out of love and duty, had been unheard of. Shaeri and Czalpak had actually been the first Yuuzhan Vong to 'marry', following in the footsteps of Anakin and Tahiri. Right now, every fiber of both their beings were rebelling against the culture and instinct that had been bred into them.

For a race that had spent over a century in the space between galaxies, mating hadn't been done out of love, but for the sole purpose of reproduction. For keeping the number of Yuuzhan Vong stable. If the number dropped, more pairs were required to have children. The pairs were determined by the Intendant and Priestly castes based on genetics and religion. To have a child out of these arranged pairings was strictly forbidden. In the society Czalpak and Shaeri grew up in, the superior caste in the mating was the one who took superior position in any aspect of their relationship. Once the mating and gestation period was over, either the pairing would be ordered to make another child, or they would be switched to another keep the gene-pool diverse.

Though Czalpak and Shaeri might have embraced the new ways of doing things, they had received a lot of trouble at first. Especially since Czalpak, as an accomplished warrior, had chosen to mate with a 'Shamed'. A barren Shamed One at that. Shamed Ones might have changed their name to 'Freed Ones', but old prejudices still remained.

Now, despite him being Supreme Commander—in charge of the military—and she being the Supreme Leader—in charge of the civilians—cultural norms still had to be respected. If he didn't show his superiority, he'd lose face in front of all the warriors. Might even lose his rank. After all, what warrior wanted to follow a leader who couldn't even bring a Shamed One in line? He was the Supreme Commander and had to be obeyed in both public and domestic settings.

He was the Supreme Commander.

" _Everyone, from the Supreme Commander to the maw luur caretaker will have to obey you now._ "

Cassa sat upright with a start. Her aunt was sometimes too clever. Before the tension could get any thicker, she dismounted. Hiding a wince as she came down on her wounded foot, she strode straight up to the much taller Supreme Commander of the _E'ron_ Yuuzhan Vong.

"Your mate is to be commended, Supreme Commander," Cassa said in as official a tone as she could muster. "As I had commanded, she waited outside the realm from where I battled the Dark One. When the Dark One retreated, she bore both myself and my attendants back here without any difficulty or complications. She is truly deserving of the trust you placed in her."

Czalpak's lips twitched as he fought a smile. He wasn't entirely successful so he bent down on one knee and bowed his head as well. "You honor us, _So'ran_. We are grateful that your battle with the Dark One went so well, ensuring us victory in this realm. We are also relieved that you have returned to this realm, to us, and are ready to serve you once more."

Cassa couldn't help but glance at the surrounding warriors, hoping they had bought her made up 'command' to Shaeri. She needn't have worried. All had followed their Supreme Commander's example and were on bended knee with bowed head. Gulping, Cassa held her hands out.

"Rise, my warriors. This was only one battle of many. The Dark One will not give up this planet so easily."

They rose as one, clasping each fist to the opposite shoulder so their arms crossed their chest. "We hear and obey, _So'ran_."

Cassa took in a calming breath. Though she was exhausted and truly wanted nothing more than a shower and very long sleep, she realized it was something that had to wait. "Very well, lead on and announce my triumphant return to the others. This war is not over yet, but I will ensure we emerge victorious."

" _Al'tanna Cassa, So'ran Yun'o!"_

 **LotJB[V]LotJB**

Traveling from a warzone to a One Sith-controlled planet, Rali Xici had no idea what to expect. All she knew was that she had information that could save trillions across the galaxy clasped in one hand, and the steering yoke held in the other. Throughout the entire trip through hyperspace she had been completely numb. The idea of abandoning one of her oldest, closest and best friend on a planet where his only company was a group of dark Jedi trying to take over said planet had her sick to her stomach. She lost track of the number of time she had nearly reversed course and returned to Lorrd.

As Denon appeared before her and the glow of hyperspace faded, Raxi could only hope that everything would be worth it. She had precious few friends as it was. What awaited her, however, was a scene out of some horror holovid.

Denon was burning, or at least, large portions of it was. Emerging out of hyperspace on the night-side facing planet, Raxi could immediately make out giant fires many hundreds of kilometers across glowing beneath thick, choking clouds of black smoke. Whole city sectors were engulfed, ships and aircraft zooming back and forth not to put out the flame, but to bombard the area with more laser fire or flashes of flame from flamethrowers.

She had only been gone for a couple of weeks. Was she already too late?

"Denon Spaceport Traffic Control, this is Rali Xici of the Denon Temple, requesting clearance to approach the planet," Raxi said breathlessly.

Rather than a real person, she received an automated message in response. " _This is Denon Control, all ships are advised to stay away from this planet. This planet is under quarantine. Any ship that lands will not be permitted to leave. Current safeguard measures on the surface have failed and the outbreak of the Sithspawn virus has overrun all major city centers. Repeat, all ships are advised to stay away from the planet._ "

Raxi paled and switched frequencies. "Denon Temple, this is Rali Xici. Anyone, please respond!"

" _Raxi? Is that you?_ "

Raxi nearly sobbed with relief. "Instructor Klin-Fa! Thank the Force!"

" _You shouldn't be here, Raxi. The entire planet is going down in flames._ "

"I have medical data that can be used to synthesize I cure for the virus!" Raxi explained urgently. "If we can use the Temple's medical facilities, I'm sure we can adjust for any mutations and changes and fix everyone."

" _It won't be that easy, Raxi. The One Sith who took over the planet has given up trying to cure the plague. Master Nalual was bit last week and was encased in carbonite. But Darth Malleus' forces are in danger of losing the warehouse as we speak. The creatures from the Old City have come up all over the planet, overrunning local response units and causing uncontrollable outbreaks."_

"What about the Temple?" Raxi said, anxious about her home.

" _The Temple and several city blocks surrounding it are clear so far, but it's only a matter of time. There are far more creatures than there are people capable of fighting them."_

"Okay, then I'm coming in to land," Raxi adjusted her course.

" _Darth Malleus' people won't let you leave if you do._ "

"I don't care. I had to leave Siare in a very bad place to come here," Raxi's voice caught in her throat. This was one of those times she wished she was a super Jedi and could reach across the stars to check on him. "I'm going to see this through."

" _Let us know when you're close to landing and we'll activate the beacon. For some reason, the frequency it gives off also attracts some of those creatures._ "

"Understood, I'll contact you when I'm ready, Raxi out." Raxi's fingers danced across the navi-computer as she inputted coordinates she knew by heart.

For over fifteen years, ever since the Jedi had saved her from Hutt Space, the Temple had been her home. Denon had been her home. But flying over burning cityscapes and ravaged land, the planet was nearly unrecognizable. She could make out where security forces and others were trying to hold back a seemingly endless tide of gray and red-skinned creatures. She flew over areas she had visited, parts of Denon where she and her friends had helped out. Now ruined and chaotic shells of what they had once been.

Her heart sunk even further and she reflexively looked towards the co-pilot's seat for some type of smart-mouthed comment from Siare. Something to cheer her up or take her mind off it all if only for a moment. Only to remember she had left him on Lorrd. Her throat tightened and she fought back tears.

She was going to fix all this. She had to.

The stacked pyramid shape of her home stood out among the towering highrises all around it. Though it appeared unscathed, the park landscape around it hadn't been as fortunate. Pockmarked with craters and blaster burns, the trees that had lined the walkways were little more than standing sticks of charcoal.

"Denon Temple, I'm on final approach vector now," Raxi exhaled. "Turn the porch-light on for me please."

" _Porch-light flipping on_." The hangar in the upper-most pyramid was illuminated in white light as its doors slid open. " _Get inside as quick as you can._ "

All at once, Raxi heard the sound of hundreds of inhuman howls fill the air. The autopilot helped to guide her towards the hangar, but in the glow of the temple she could see countless forms climb over the sides of the nearby walkways and lope towards the building. As the creatures approached the perimeter, however, they appeared to become confused, stopping and sniffing the air like they were searching for something.

Raxi tightly squeezed the steering yoke until her ship was safely inside the hangar. When the hangar door shut behind her, she let out a breath of relief, closing her eyes and letting her tears flow. Saving the galaxy wasn't exactly as fun as all the stories made it out to be. Sniffling, she wiped at her eyes and once again checked on the datacard attached to the lanyard around her neck. She said a soft prayer to the Force, and then exited her shuttle.

Awaiting her was one of the Temple's instructors and a mother-figure to her. Jedi Knight Klin-Fa Lochett—still a Knight only because she didn't want to be bothered taking the Master-level trials—stood with her dark-hair tied back in a single braid, a tired smile on her face.

"Welcome home, Raxi."

Raxi bit her lower lip and took a few hurried steps to the woman, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. "You're okay."

"I am," Klin-Fa murmured tenderly, rubbing the Zeltron's back. "Now what's this about information to stop the plague?"

"Taken from an ancient archive on Tion by an archaeology team from Lorrd," Raxi stepped back and held up the data-card. "The databanks at Lorrd University also had data gathered by a Mr. Hyland who apparently specialized in this virus millennia ago. Hopefully with both information we can make a cure and end this nightmare."

"Gruu, his two kids, Master Jusik and Master Cilghal have been working non-stop," Klin-Fa said, the two walking at a swift clip out of the hangar. "The fact that this virus might be Force-made only makes it harder to counter."

"Master Jusik is still here?" Raxi said, surprised. She knew that the Mandalorian Jedi and Scout had been present on Denon to help handle any complications related to the reopening of the Old City.

"Political climate on Mandalore changed when the One Sith popped up," Klin-Fa confirmed. "They got a message from Ordo telling them they were safer here."

Raxi glanced out a window they were passing at the burning cityscape. "Really?"

"I know," Klin-Fa said dryly. "At least this Sithspawn stuff is keeping them busy. Who knows what the Mando Jedi might have done without a challenge."

They arrived at the med-bay. Or what Raxi had remembered as being the med-bay. Instead, there were stacks of carbonite slabs with individuals frozen inside them. From wall to wall, with some stacks being at five-slabs high.

"Oh," Raxi whispered.

"We started using our own carbonite chamber once our people started getting bit," Klin-Fa explained, her eyes locking onto one of the slabs fortunate enough to be leaning on the wall vertically. "It was all we could do without a cure."

Raxi followed her gaze, then gasped again. She could recognize Instructor Uldir, Klin-Fa's husband, within the carbonite. "No."

"A few days after you left," Klin-Fa confirmed with a fake grin to hide her emotions. "The idiot just had to get infected without me. Anyway, he's in good company. We convinced Malleus to give us Master Nalual, Seha Dorvald, and Loana Ven'nari to us before his warehouse became threatened by the creatures. When we thaw them out, I can yell at them all at once for leaving this place with just me running it."

"Klin-Fa," the Mon Calamari healer and one of Luke Skywalker's first students emerged from a side-room. "Are you here to see...oh, Rali. I'm glad to see you unharmed."

"Master Cilghal," Raxi bowed her head. She then pulled off the lanyard. "I hope this information can help. Darth Malleus said that the virus was of ancient Sith origin. Well, here's medical information from ancient times."

Cilghal plugged the card into a computer and began scrolling through the information. She began to nod slowly, murmuring to herself as she did. "Yes, I can see where this might help. The alleles are different, but that is to be expected after millennia of mutation. Chromosomes ten and fifty also appear to be drastically altered, and I'm sure more difference will appear with a more intensive scan."

"Will it help?" Raxi said weakly.

Cilghal turned around and smiled kindly at the Zeltron. "It most definitely will, Rali Xici. Thank you for bringing it to us. Rather than years, this might allow us to make a cure in a few days."

"Days," Raxi swallowed. "Will Denon be able to hold out that long? I mean, you'll need to test the cure too, and then find some way to mass-produce it and then deliver it and..."

"Calm," Cilghal held out a webbed hand. "We will get to each trial when we come to it. Remember, Master Skywalker has taught us that the future is always in motion. Before you arrived, we had little hope of finding a cure in time for it to be meaningful to this world. Now you have arrived with the key that could solve our problems. Who knows what will happen these next few days. But now, now we have hope."

 **LotJB[Chapter End]LotJB**

 **A\N:** Next update...hopefully next month, but no promises.


	11. Chapter 11

**Eleven**

 **LotJB[I]LotJB**

Hutt Space had always had a sort of lawlessness about it. From legal slavery and spice-trade, to arms-dealing and illicit tech, Hutt Space was once the place people traveled to for a life of excess, decadence, and crime. The Hutts had maintained control of their sector through a mercenary force and a hybrid fleet that consisted of cast-offs and black-market vessels. It was hardly the most professional military in the galaxy, but at the same time, it kept the sector firmly in control of the deep-pocketed gangsters. The hard-core mercenaries, thugs, and war-veterans that made up their forces made brutal examples of those that questioned their paymasters.

And then the Yuuzhan Vong War happened, and the Hutts learned what happened when a mercenary force that pledges its loyalty to the highest bidder encounters a truly professional army. Apart from a few pockets of resistance and a few hold-outs, the entirety of Hutt Space had fallen to the intergalactic invaders in a frighteningly short amount of time. The Hutts themselves had been forced to flee to far-flung, otherwise backwater systems like Tatooine to survive. When the Galactic Alliance reclaimed Hutt Space thanks to an Anakin Solo-led strike-force, the Hutts had been marginalized and forced to accept trade deals that they would never have taken had they been in any position to negotiate.

With the Killik War, the Hutts had a resurgence. Kind of. The Hapan Consortium, which had nominally maintained control of the Hutt Sector in the decade following the Yuuzhan Vong War, descended into civil war and had to battle a massive Killik infestation. This allowed the Hutts to branch out and reassert their control over their ancestral territories. Only, when they did so, they discovered that the Hutt Sector was beyond a pale shadow of what it had once been. Mining planets had been stripped bare by the Yuuzhan Vong war-effort. Whole planets had been blasted into moon-like crater landscapes or terraformed beyond recognition. Even the planets that had survived had suffered under Hapan mismanagement and were stagnant. Pockets of bandits and former security chiefs carved out their own territories. The Hutt Council, no longer as deep-pocketed as before, was doing all it could to just maintain what little civilization was left.

And what little was left was guarded with extreme zealousness and administered with a durasteel fist. The scum and villainy of the galaxy would have to be brain dead to challenge the Hutts, even in the council's very weakened state.

Which left Janek Skywalker wondering what that made him and his friends. Trying to take two Jedi prisoners away from the possessive Hutts more than likely went under the category of 'challenging the Hutts.'

But he didn't have time to worry for long. He made one last adjustment to his armored jumpsuit and forced himself to smile as the doors to the turbolift door opened. The second it did, he and his friends were treated with a feast for the eyes and sensory overload as the Hutts spared no expense in celebrating the victors of the Boonta Eve Classic.

"Oh, wow," Vekki breathed out at the palatial dining hall.

Banners, holo-signs, a live band with dancers, the very pleasing aroma of a wide-variety of food, and the very pleasing sight of barely-clothed, attractive attendants all awaited them as colorful lights flashed and holo-cams zoomed around to broadcast the faces of the winning team across the sector.

" _Aaaaaand here are the champions, the team of the hour, the top-dogs themselves, the racers for his supreme greatness Zetto the Hutt!_ "

Janek gave a jaunty wave, grinning at the holo-cameras as he and his team advanced down a set of stairs.

"Look," Ryza said through an equally forced grin, her head jerking towards one of the walls in the hall.

Janek did, and immediately wish he hadn't. Apparently Jesmin's big brother and her big brother's apprentice made fine centerpiece wall decorations. Both carbonite slabs and their contents were on full-display, along with a handful of other trophies. Janek supposed Doran and Kyrelle were lucky that they hadn't become head-only mounts like a majority of the decorations around them. No doubt the display was a warning to whoever would be stupid enough to try and cross the Hutts.

"That idiot," Jesmin muttered, her hands clenching even as she smiled and waved at the cameras. "I'm not going to let him forget this."

"What's on the schedule?" San're asked their pit-master, Sacha Swiftbird.

The elderly racer led them to a very long table in the center of the hall. The table, between six other similarly-sized tables, was completely laden with plates, cups, and utensils made of precious ores. There was enough room to seat over a hundred people, and most of the seats were already filled with beings of various races wearing expensive finery and gaudy jewelry. "Twenty-five course meal for starters."

"'Twenty-five'?" Naeli froze in shock

"In the good old days it used to be a fifty-course meal," Sacha said with a smirk. "Trying times means even the great Hutt Council had to cut back a little. The entertainment between courses should more than make up for it."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Ryza sighed, still taking in the sights.

"Well, there's the usual dancing and singing. One of Max Rebo's kids followed in his dad's footsteps and started a band of his own, _Rebo to the Max,_ " Sacha motioned towards the live band led by an Ortolan on a ball organ. "And the best slave dancers from Ryloth have been practicing for this day like their lives depend on it."

"Sacha," Nate admonished.

"Sorry, you hang around the Hutts long enough, live to be my age, and nothing fazes you anymore," Sacha cackled as the group headed towards the banquet. "I'm told we have gladiatorial matches, combat demonstrations, and even a live Rancor feeding. All in you kids' honor."

"Okay," Vekki looked slightly nauseous at that.

"Hey, the prizes come after. Hope you enjoy being obscenely rich and very famous."

A gong sounded and Sacha motioned for them to sit at a very long table in the center of the room. The group did, some of them admiring the silken, birghtly-colored pillows that served as their seats.

The majordomo of the Grand Hutt Council stepped to the center of a raised platform. It immediately disembarked from its station and rose even higher into the air.

" _Good evening ladies and gentlemen!'_ The gaudily dressed Zeltron performed a dramatic twirl on the platform, dancing to the energetic beat _Rebo to the Max_ was cranking out. Screens evenly spaced along the walls of the room let everyone see the majordomo's undulating antics. " _And of course, a big welcome and thank you to the luminous, glorious, generous, magnificent, Grand Hutt Council. Let me introduce Borvo the Illustrious, Zetto the Cunning, and Ardak the Merciless!_ "

The trio of Hutts all waved their stubby hands at the gathered audience, while other Hutts slithered their way over to the head of the nearby tables. The trio of Grand Hutt Council Hutts took their own positions at the head of Janek's table, large eyes gleaming magnanimously as they gazed out at the packed dining hall.

" _We all know why we're here today, so let's skip to the good stuff,_ " the Zeltron called out, a broad grin stretching his face. " _Our young champions must be chomping at the bit for food and something more, so let's get this party started!"_

The gong sounded again and waitstaff appeared from two doors on either side of the room, each of them pushing what looked like a cargo-skiff of food.

 _First up is a deeeelish appetizer made with authentic ingredients from Boz Pity, the Graveyard Wrap! Enjoy!_ "

"Please don't tell me we'll have to have all twenty-five courses," Naeli managed. "That wrap alone is definitely not appetizer-sized."

"It is for the Hutts," Nate grinned. "And like Sacha said, your personal audience with the Hutts is after they've eaten and are satisfied. Trust me, they'll be much easier to bargain with if they're in a good mood."

"Just try not to fall back on your training regardless of the entertainment," Sacha half-ordered, half-pleaded. "Remember why you're here and don't let my work go to waste. You can't imagine the convincing it took to have Zetto take you on."

"Sacha, the odds of them making it to even the tenth course are so remote, I'm not going to bet on it," Nate said mildly, biting into one of the rolls. "Mmmm, these are good, you should really try one."

" _And as the second course appears, Utapauan sea-bass, we give you our first entertainment of this glorious event! Allow me to welcome Max Trumpeter and his band, Rebo to the Max, as they play the swankiest tunes this side of the core! Accompanying them is Letaki singing sensation, Squa Kalow!"_

Cheers went up from some of the other diners as the band struck a familiar tune and the singer began belting out the melody. Doors opened on either side of the Grand Hutt Council's platform and a troupe of dancing Twi'leks emerged.

"Eyes back in your sockets boys," Vekki chided San're and Janek.

"Hey, Ryza, Jesmin, and Naeli are ogling the male dancers," Janek protested. "It's only fair."

"Are we really going to have to sit through all twenty-five courses and entertainment?" Vekki sighed to Nate and Sacha.

"If you want to save her brother, yup," Sacha crunched on a section of fried fish without a care in the world.

" _And apparently there's been a change of plans for tonight's entertainment,_ " the Zeltron MC said in the same annoyingly peppy voice as he boogied to the music. " _Though we had scheduled a Rancor feeding at the end of the twenty-fifth dish, the 'who' and 'what' has changed. The all-powerful and every mighty Grand Hutt Council has just sent word that they plan to host the public execution of two Jedi who dared tried to usurp their power._ "

The group of teenage Jedi all looked at each other in exasperation.

"No, don't even think about it," Nate mumbled.

" _And to make things all the more entertaining, they've brought in a Gorog from a system far far away!"_

"What's that?" Vekki said in a hushed whisper.

"Something that eats Rancors for appetizers," Nate answered back dryly.

" _The entire galaxy will know that the Hutts are strong, will respect their sovereign territory. So sit back and enjoy the feast, there's plenty entertainment to come!"_

 **LotJB[II]LotJB**

Janek found himself stuffed somewhere between the fifth and sixth course. To be honest, he had been full after the fourth course; but the fifth course had been a really delicious looking fried fowl of some sort and the sixth course was a meat dish whose smell had been irresistible. Unable to help it, he let out a loud belch.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"Glad to see you have an appetite," Jesmin said wryly, pushing the remains of the second course back and forth on her plate as she gazed at her brother's carbonite form.

"Can't let this good food go to waste," Ryza chimed in, letting out a belch of her own. "Besides, we're going to need the carbs and protein for later."

Jesmin just rolled her eyes at the both of them. "Running and doing feats of amazing athletics is not recommended on a full stomach."

"We'll let you, San're, Vekki, and Naeli take care of that then," Janek bantered.

"And you two will be…where?"

"Napping in the get-away ship."

Further light-hearted talk was stalled when a large gong was rung. The master of ceremonies, who had taken a break from dancing between courses, stepped back onto his floating platform and ascended once more.

" _Alright gentlebeings of the galaxy! Are you ready for some good ol' fashioned dueling?_ "

From the cheers that went up all around, apparently the rest of the audience was.

" _That's what I like to hear! For this one night only, safety shields are not permitted. Which means….drumrolll please…This will be a duel to the DEATH! All fighters, save for the unpaid-pit-workers-with-jobs, have signed waivers indicating that they are well aware that today might be their last! And what better way to honor our Boonta Eve Classic champions than by having the best fighters put on their best showings!? Feel like wagering on the outcomes? Signal one of the many attendants around here and they'll take your bets. So…without further ado, let's get these fights started!_ "

The crowd let out surprised murmurs as the floor began to retract in a slow, sedate pace. A large pit was revealed in the middle of the room, the floor of the pit made up of dirt and fragments of bone. Descending from the ceiling was a rotating holo-projector, its lights flickering on and giving everyone a clear view of the inside of the pit.

A gate on one side of the pit sunk into the ground, and the crowd cheered as an obvious fan-favorite stepped forward. Humanoid and massive in size, the guy's impressive biceps bulged as he swung around a vibrosword as long as Ryza was tall. Wearing a spiked helmet, with spiked crush-gaunts adorning both hands, and thick metal boots with spurs on the back covering his feet, he was the epitome of a pit-fighter champion. Bare-chested and clad in cut-off leather that accentuated everything below the waist, he pounded his chest and let out an energetic roar in response to the crowd.

" _You know him! You love him! You've seen him bash skulls into bloody pulps year after year! Meet the Grand Hutt Council's favorite champion, Ro'shakar._ "

The crowd began to chant his name, and the gladiator played up to it, posing and strutting around the pit.

" _Ro-sha-kar! Ro-sha-kar!_ "

"I'm guessing he's famous?" Vekki whispered to Nate.

"Like the emcee said, he's the reigning pit-fighter champion for five years running," Nate answered, raising his voice slightly to be heard above the cheering. "He's survived nine death matches and nearly fifty non-lethal ones."

"He's Force-sensitive," San're spoke, watching the man.

"That doesn't make you invincible," Nate returned.

"But it does give you an unfair advantage."

" _And who would have the guts, the daring, and the skill to challenge Ro'shakar in a fight to the death? Why it's none other than our up-and-coming gladiator who's won all four of his death matches and dozens of non-lethal challenges all within the past two years. Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, give it up for the Mysterious Stranger!_ "

"What type of fighting name is that?" Ryza said incredulously.

"'The Known Entity' just doesn't have the same ring to it," Janek remarked, watching avidly as another gladiator entered the pit from the opposite side. This new fighter was well-built and had a vibrosword in each hand.

" _Let the death match begin!_ "

The two gladiators charged at each other….

"Well, that was quick," Naeli said dumbly, watching as one collapsed to the ground in a growing pool of blood seconds later.

"Kind of a let-down," Ryza added.

"Real fights never last long," San're shrugged.

"You guys do realize we just watched somebody get killed, right?" Vekki said weakly.

" _And it's over! It's over! Ro'shakar has done it again! We've been asking for a while now if anyone could be the answer to the Mysterious Stranger, and it looks like Ro'shakar was that answer. With a deflection and two large cuts, he put down yet another opponent. Will there ever be anyone capable of bringing down the Grand Council's killing machine of mayhem?"_

"I wonder if they'll bring out the slave-teams next," Sacha pondered aloud.

"Slave-teams?" Janek questioned.

"The other Hutts put together a team of their best fighting slaves and pit them against Ro'shakar. It's been a new thing for the past two Classics. The bet is not if they'll win, but how long they'll last. Last year, Azzim the Hutt's team won with a time of three minutes and fifty-three seconds."

" _Well, if no one else is willing to step up, then I think you all know who Ro'shakar will feast on next!_ _Coming all the way from the pits of…what's this, it looks like one of the Boonta Eve Classic racers is approaching the Grand Council_."

At that, the young Jedi looked around wildly.

"It's Jesmin!" Gasped Vekki.

"What's S-T thinking now?" Ryza groaned.

"I told you the kids would blow it," Sacha said to Nate in an ever-suffering tone.

" _And from what I'm hearing from the great, illustrious, glorious Grand Hutt Council is that this girl is going to challenge Ro'shakar! Can you believe it? Puts your bets in now folks, but this is an easy one. It may just be me, but I think this little human is out of her mind._ "

"At least she waited until after the Hutts finished eating the eighth course," Sacha sighed.

"The Hutts look happy," Naeli looked to the older woman.

"Of course they're happy. If she dies, they don't have to pay her the victory money."

"Oh."

"Nate, did you just place a wager?" Vekki glared at the Altesian suspiciously.

"Me?" Nate affected a look of innocence as an attendant left his side. "I'd never bet against one of your friends."

"Great idea. You know what?" Sacha signaled one of the other attendants. "Put a hundred thousand credits on the girl winning."

"Yes, ma'am," the attendant recorded the bet and walked away.

"How much do you have on her, Nate?"

"The same."

"I can't believe the two of you," Vekki said in disbelief.

"San're, put your credit-chit away," Ryza glared at the younger teen.

Jesmin returned to the table, shrugging off her outer robe and slinging it around her chair.

"Jes, whatcha doing?" Janek said nervously.

"Fighting Muscles down there," Jesmin answered.

"Impulsiveness is my thing," Ryza protested.

"Then you should have talked to the Hutts first."

"Can I ask _why_ you're doing this?" Nate said mildly.

"The Hutts promised to give me one of those carbonite prisoners if I win."

"You do know that the Hutts probably won't be in a good mood and keep their word if you win," Sacha said. "He earns them millions of credits every year."

Jesmin flashed them a fierce look and gestured to the floating platform. "If the Grand Council goes back on their word, they'll lose the trust of all the scum and villainy watching this."

" _And apparently the girl wants one of the Jedi prisoners,"_ the MC announced. " _She wins: a chance cube roll will decide who she gets to take home. Of course, if she loses, she's dead. So, without any more delay, here's the next challenger to the great and invincible Ro'shakar!"_

Jesmin dropped down into the pit, completely unarmed. Her tall, lanky form straightened and she eyed the mammoth of a man before her. Ro'shakar likewise looked her over, smirking and shaking his head.

"Go home, girly," the pit-champion growled.

Jesmin said nothing, continuing to stand where she was and stare at the man.

"I'm not gonna to give you a good clean death," Ro'shakar cricked his head from side to side, tendons popping. "I'm gonna break your bones, one by one. And when you're finally begging for death, I might just be merciful and give it to you."

Jesmin remained silent and unmoving, her arms remaining at her sides.

Ro'shakar scowled. "Aren't you going to say something, little girl?"

The tall, blonde teen didn't even flinch.

"Fine, have it your way!"

Ro'shakar let out a bellow tinged with the Force and charged at Jesmin. He swung his massive sword through the air, only to have Jesmin angle her body so that the blade missed by centimeters. He tried to lash out with his other hand, but Jesmin ducked under that and floated back out of range. There, she resumed her casual stance, her aquamarine gaze betraying no emotion.

The large gladiator regarded her warily, reining in his own emotions and adopting a more cautious posture. He approached her once more, but every time he took a step forward, she took a step back.

"Fight me already," he hissed, more or less performing the one-step-forward, one-step-back dance all around the pit. He got close enough a couple of times to swing his sword, but Jesmin simply dodged the blade and stepped away from him.

The crowd began to boo. Ro'shakar glanced up at the crowd and snarled. When Jesmin remained on the defensive, he attacked again with a vicious one-handed, downward swing. Again Jesmin avoided his blade, twisting agilely…and then finally lashing out. When she did, the entire crowd heard the blow land and saw the results. The crowd was stunned, confused at first until the holo-projector above the pit slowed down the fight enough for them to see what had just happened. During Ro'shakar's next swing, instead of stepping back, Jesmin stepped into the large man. Then, in a quick motion, she used both her fists and drove them into his extended elbow. The popping, snapping noise the crowd all heard—shortly before Ro'shakar's yell of pain—was the join and ligaments completely giving way from the combined force of Jesmin's blow and his own momentum. The weight of the sword worked against the big man and essentially yanked the lower half of his arm painfully out of place.

The entire crowd went quiet.

Ro'shakar tried to kick at Jesmin with his heavy, metal boots. Another popping, snapping sound was followed by the large man howling in pain. A replay showed Jesmin leaping up, and then coming down with all her weight on his extended knee. The gladiator staggered back a few steps, his leg bent backwards at a very unnatural angle. He fell down to his good knee, breathing heavily as he tried to recover from the shock.

Jesmin didn't let him. She approached him with deliberate, brisk steps and lashed out with one hand—the monitors showing her fingers jabbing into the large man's throat. Ro'shakar let out a gurgling noise and fell over, his one good hand going to his now crushed windpipe. He struggled to breathe, his face turning blue. Throughout it all, Jesmin stood over him, her face impassive. Finally, Ro'shakar emitted a raspy death rattle and went still.

"Holy bantha turds," Ryza gaped, her jaw hanging open.

"She killed him," San're blinked in shock.

Janek said nothing, looking instead at the completely emotionless eyes of his childhood friend. Her eyes said it all. He and Ryza may have joked about Jesmin being 'Ms. Commando ' from all the times Jesmin spent zooming about the galaxy with her dad's special-forces unit and other elite squads, but actually seeing that training surface was bone-chilling. Janek could tell that Jesmin had compartmentalized the entire fight completely, felt absolutely nothing when she had fought the large man.

" _I…I don't believe it,_ " the Zeltron MC stammered, nervously looking at the stunned Hutts. " _Ro'Shakar is dead…the little girl defeated him without any weapons, without any armor…just like that."_

The Hutts got over their shock and a lot of angry yelling in Huttese emerged from their section. Hutt security guards surrounded the pit.

" _Well, a new update from the Grand Council_ ," the Zeltron swallowed. " _Since the human girl has killed Ro'shakar and won one of the imprisoned Jedi, she now owes the generous members of the Grand Council a replacement for the live feeding after the twenty-fifth course. After all, two Jedi were scheduled to be fed to the beast, and now only one is available. To correct this, the human girl will now fight alongside the last Jedi prisoner…along with the rest of her racing team._ "

As the Zeltron MC said this, a large security contingent descended on the area the young Jedi and their adult minders were seated.

"You will come with us," a Weequay guard ordered calmly.

"Sure," Nate gestured to the teens. "We won't cause any problems."

"Remind me to kill Jesmin later," Ryza muttered under her breath.

"If we survive the giant thing that eats Rancors, I just might help you," Janek sighed, his hope of a less-risky-save-the-brother-of-his-female-friend mission vanishing. He didn't count podracing because that had been a situation he could control. Being sentenced to death by being munchies was not.

"Do you think this is what Jesmin had planned when she did what she did?" Naeli looked to the others. "I mean, she had to know that killing that Ro'sh-whatever guy would make the Hutts angry."

"Who knows what she's thinking when she goes into commando-mode," Ryza grumbled.

"That was…something else," San're agreed.

"I've never seen her like that," Vekki said in a hushed whisper as she hurriedly walked alongside the others.

"Ryza and I have seen it only once before," Janek said in turn. "When Jes's dad took her, me, and Ryza on a fieldtrip to an amusement park about three years ago."

"Fieldtrip to an amusement park?" Vekki was confused. "Why would she go all…that…on a fieldtrip?"

"Ended up being a stakeout," Ryza said dryly. "Turns out me, Janek, and Jesmin were his cover. The guys he was following got a little desperate when they got cornered; tried to use Jes as a hostage."

"What happened?" Naeli said, engrossed in the story.

"You saw what happened to 'Ro'sh-whatever," Ryza gestured behind them. "That."

"Oh."

"Yeah, it was kind of freaky. One moment she's a frightened girl and the next she's like in this trance. Let's the guy holding a knife to her throat cut it, then twists his wrist and uses his own arm to stab him several times. When it's over, she's just standing there, bleeding from the shallow cut to her neck with the guy's blood splattered all over her. When she comes out of her trance, she actually smiles and looks sheepish."

"Freaky," Ryza agrees.

"It sounds like some kind of battle-trance," San're voiced. "My people use a similar trance before going into battle, infusing our bodies with anger and rage to make it faster and stronger."

"So it's a dark side thing?" Naeli voiced worriedly.

"I think her version of it is a Jedi with commando-skills thing," Janek said in a low voice. "Not like 'Ro'sh-whatever or the guy that held a knife to her throat were good people."

"So Jedi are judge, jury, and executioner now?" Nate interjected, sounding amused.

"I agree with Nate," Vekki nodded. "Just because a guy might be bad doesn't give us the right to kill him just because we can."

"Think about it in terms of droid-logic," Ryza tried. "Let's say you're programming a droid with law-enforcement duties. A murderer with many deaths linked back to him is loose in a crowd. It's too risky to make an arrest, not when you know he has a history of using civilians as shields. If you have a chance to neutralize him, won't you tell the droid to take it?"

"That's different than this situation. Jesmin didn't have to get involved, but she did. Decided that one Jedi's life was worth the life of that gladiator. Who gave us that right?"

"You know, this is all very interesting and everything, but shouldn't you kids be more worried about more immediate concerns?" Sacha Swiftbird interrupted. "You know, like how you're going to survive a giant monster that'll see you as fingerfood?"

"She has a point," San're said.

"Great, Janek, what's the plan?" Ryza looked to her childhood friend.

"What? Why are you asking me?"

"Because I don't have anything, Vekki looks like she's terrified out of her mind, San're's methods will get us all killed, and Naeli doesn't have anything either."

"Hey!" San're protested.

"Sorry, I think I was sick for that class on 'how-to-defeat-giant-monsters,'" Janek muttered sarcastically.

"Well, think of something. Didn't your dad beat a Rancor?"

"Why don't we wait for Jesmin?" Janek complained. "We're in this trouble because of her."

"Can I offer completely useless, yet sage-sounding advice at the same time," Nate volunteered.

"Go ahead, it can't hurt," Ryza groaned.

"You'll all be fine if you work as a team. You survived the pod-racing circuit after all. And whichever Jedi is tossed into the pit with you will probably help you too."

"You're right, that was completely useless."

"I try."

The group was led to a giant hangar where a whole host of sail-barges and skiffs sat idle.

"Oh, this is going to be good," Nate chuckled.

"Huh?"

"Just to let you kids know, I am way too old for this," Sacha grumbled.

"What, what's going to happen?"

"Let's just say, if you survive this, you'll probably want to avoid Hutt Space for…well…the rest of your lives."

 **LotJB[III]LotJB**

The question about where the Hutts would keep a giant creature capable of chowing down on Rancors was answered several hours, and a very nerve-wrecking skiff-ride, later. The answer was: as far away from civilization as possible, in the deepest, widest crater on Nar Shadda. The very top of the crater had been carved out into bleacher-seats, with a 'luxury' box for VIPs and dignitaries.

Of course, the Grand Council and most of the other Hutts stayed aboard their sail-barges floating around the arena. But it looked as if the entire population of Nar Shadda—what was left of it anyways—had turned out to view the 'feeding'.

"Wow, that's a big pit," Naeli gaped, glancing over the side of their skiff as it began to descend. The pit itself was illuminated by hundreds of bright spotlights, with hovering sun-lamps likewise ensuring that everyone could see what was happening at the very bottom.

"I'm more worried about that giant gate," Janek pointed to a heavily reinforced metal slab pressed into one side of the crater.

"Nate did say the Gorog was big," Ryza exhaled.

"Rancors are big, Wampas are big. Whatever needs a door that size…that's humongous!"

Their skiff met up with the skiff holding Jesmin.

"Hiya S-T, nice mess you got us into," Janek called out over the gap.

"That sounds like Skywalker," came the voice of Doran Sarkin-Tainer. The Jedi Master was standing behind his sister looking annoyingly relaxed.

"It is," Jesmin said brightly. "He agreed to help me rescue you."

"Great job so far, guys."

"Hey, Doran," Ryza called out. "Do you know how to fight a Gorog?"

"Why?"

"We're supposed to be lunch for one."

"Oh, so the rumors were true," Doran said cheerfully.

"Rumors?"

"That the Hutts had a Yuuzhan Vong-shaped Gorog."

All of the young Jedi on the first skiff nearly toppled out of it in shock.

"What?!" Vekki squeaked.

"A Yuuzhan Vong-shaped Gorog. There were always rumors that the Yuuzhan Vong had left one in Hutt Space to spite the Hutts after Solo pushed them out. Supposedly it was one of the reasons why the Hapans were never able to keep the sector stable. According to the rumors, the Yuuzhan Vong used genetic information of a Zillo-beast and merged it with the genetic information of a Gorog and made the ugliest, hungriest monster to ever exist. Think lightsaber-proof armor plating, giant spiky tail, mouth so big that it can swallow a starfighter…"

"Brother."

"Huh?"

"We're already terrified out of our minds. Can you not terrify us any further?"

"It's okay, I got everything under control."

"Really? You and Kyrelle were carbonite popsicles. In fact, the first thing she said to you when they thawed the both of you out was 'I told you this wasn't going to work.'"

"I'm a Jedi, sis. I had to try the whole peaceful, diplomatic route no matter how stupid the idea seemed. But don't worry, I have a plan."

"Your plan got you into this mess," Jesmin pointed out. "And now you're blinded, suffering carbonite sickness, and we're about to fight a giant creature we have no hope of winning against."

"Janek."

"Yeah?"

"When they set us down, kiss my sister and make her feel better about this whole situation."

"Roger."

"Oh, then kiss Durron so she won't backstab you while we're fighting the giant creature."

"Good idea," Janek couldn't help but laugh despite the situation. "I never thought I'd be the type of guy to laugh in the face of death."

The two skiffs landed on the floor of the arena and the guards on the skiffs encouraged the young Jedi to leave at blasterpoint. Once off, the guards tossed them a collection of pole-arm weapons, and then took the skiffs back high up into the air.

"There's a lot of bones down here," San're remarked. "I recognize some of the species too."

"How much is a lot?" Doran asked curiously.

"There are mountains all around us," Jesmin lightly slugged her brother in the arm. "Come on, Doran. That's not important."

"Right, Janek, as the ranking Jedi here, I order you to kiss my sister."

"Doran!"

"Okay, okay, kiss her later," Doran rubbed his arm.

"Shouldn't you be all against having someone kiss your little sister?" Vekki asked with raised eyebrows.

"She could do worse than Skywalker."

"And here I thought you liked me."

"Doran, if you have a plan, you should probably fill us in," Ryza said nervously, kicking a vibrospear up into the air and grabbing it. The announcer's voice welcoming the Hutts and introducing various VIPs boomed across the arena.

"Well, we let the Hutts release the Gorog, then run about in blind panic and try not to get stomped on or eaten."

"Okay…"

"Then one or more of us does something amazing, involving feats of crazy daring, to save our own lives and slay the giant creature."

"That is a terrible plan," Naeli said, aghast.

"Sis," Doran interrupted his sister before she had a fit. "What did I tell you about my time on Gargon?"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Doran rubbed at his forehead. "You see, this is why learning thousands of different ways to kill someone, or infiltrate a place that needs infiltrating doesn't always come in handy. You told me that you're here because N-Eight showed the good-guy Mandalorians a video of me in Hutt Space."

"Yeah."

"And they're really just going to sit on that moon of theirs and twiddle their thumbs?"

"Verde and Tracyn can't act without tipping off the bad-guy Mandalorians."

"Yeah…and…?" Doran led. "Come on, use the part of your brain that mom gave you."

"Dinua and Jintar were at the base too…they're not Death Watch," Jesmin's eyes grew round. Rather than watch the door, she craned her head back to try and look up at the bleachers. "They're here?"

"I really, really hope they are," Doran said casually. "Otherwise we're going to have to go with my terrible plan."

" _Victims of the mighty Gorog, the Grand Council of Hutts is willing to consider mercy if you beg for their forgiveness,_ " a translator droid called out. " _Otherwise you may consider this your final moments as the mighty Gorog will rip, crush, and snuff out your insignificant lives._ "

"Are we begging for mercy?" Vekki asked fearfully.

"And give those fat slugs the pleasure?" Ryza scowled. "Not a chance."

"Okay…" Vekki swallowed. "But I really don't want to be ripped, crushed, and snuffed out."

"That won't happen," Jesmin said gently. "My big brother will make sure of it. Right?"

"Sure, place all the pressure on me," Doran grumbled, then grimaced as she hit his arm. "I mean, of course. We're getting out of this alive, un-ripped, un-crushed, and un-snuffed. Do you really have to hit the same place every time?"

As he spoke, there was the screeching sound of giant gears and chains going to work. The massive door began to rise. On cue, the Gorog let out a deafening bellow and two giant fists bowed the rising metal door outward. The door jerked to a halt half-way up. The two fists pounded the door again, and this time the very large, very heavy piece of metal was blown out into the arena. It crashed to the ground in an earthshaking boom, the metal door—thicker than Doran was tall several times over—was completely bent into an 'L' shape from the blow of the creature within the cave.

And then the group got a look of the beast as it strode out into the arena, it's every step causing the ground the tremble and the piles of bones around them to shift.

Ryza, Janek, and Jesmin all glanced at their vibrospears, then at the creature, and let the puny weapon fall to the ground.

"That's….that's…huge," Naeli stammered, likewise dropping the vibrospear she had picked up.

"Really? How huge?" Doran asked, being the only one in the group that hadn't taken five steps back.

"Really huge," Jesmin hurried forward and pulled on Doran's hand frantically. "Over a hundred meters tall. And it's definitely shaped, has surge-coral growing out of its head."

The shaped Gorog let out another intimidating bellow. As it did, its spittle flew out everywhere…very acidic spittle. The globs of spit that landed on the piles of bone at its feet hissed and smoked upon contact, eating through the bleached bones at an alarming rate. Its tail, complete with person-sized spikes on the end, lashed out and blew through more piles of bone with ease.

The crowd cheered as the Jedi frantically ran for cover, moving from one mountain of bone to the next. The creature took a ground-shaking step forward and lashed its massive tail out in a vertical strike. The spiked tail smashed apart several mounds of bones and rocked the ground violently. Seeing that it missed, it made a fist and started to bring it down on the next pile.

San're hurled his vibrospear at the incoming hand. The weapon bounced off the thick hide of the creature like it was made of rubber, the Gorog not even noticing it. The Jedi dove out of the way and the fist pounded the ground. The impact actually lifted San're and Vekki up off the ground for several seconds, before gravity reasserted itself and brought them down with brutal force.

"It's starting to look like we might need to use your plan," Janek panted at the older Jedi.

"Nah, if the Mandos are here, they're having fun watching us run about like roaches," Doran waved him off. "These are Mandos we're talking about. Giant deadly things and fights for survival for them are like salt to Arcona."

"Yeah, but this is _us_ trying to survive."

"More the reason for them to watch."

"They are some really screwed up people."

"Tell me about it," Doran laughed. "But they're going to save our lives so say nice things about them for now."

Both male Jedi then had to dive out of the way as the massive tail sliced through the pile they had been hiding behind. A shower of bone fragments rained down on them, further adding to their disorientation.

And then Janek realized he was in trouble. Big trouble. The shaped Gorog had used that moment to pluck him off the ground in one of its gargantuan-sized fists. More accurately, it was holding him by the head between two very large, very clawed fingers. He reflexively grabbed the nearest object he could just before he was yanked into the air, and the object turned out to be the tibia of one of the Gorog's previous meals.

"Janek!" He heard Ryza yell in a mix of anger and terror.

But he was more focused on the wide-open maw that was fast approaching than her feelings. There were three rows of razor-sharp, oscillating teeth, with bits of previous victims still stuck in between some of them. He flinched as the two-fingered grip felt like it was about to pop his skull open like an overripe melon. He waved the tibia in his hand like a lightsaber, hoping to come up with some plan to use his only weapon.

Before he became a crumb-sized snack for the Gorog, however, a rocket fired down from above and right into the creature's wide-open mouth. The rocket exploded, the Gorog roared in rage, and Janek was released…over a hundred meters above the ground. Despite his rapid fall, he couldn't help but look upwards to see where the rocket had come from. A lone figure in Mandalorian armor was swooping down from the stands, her dual plasma pistols shrieking as they poured a continuous stream of molten metal onto the Gorog's head.

The Gorog was not amused. The rocket appeared to have only surprised it, and the plasma barrage was doing nothing but anger it. Like a Gungan, the Gorog's black tongue shot out of its mouth and caught Janek's rescuer off-guard. The impact of the tongue sent her flying back against the smooth arena wall, where she then fell just like Janek.

Fortunately for both her and Janek, the others on the ground had long mastered levitating objects with the Force. Both his rescuer and Janek were brought safely to the ground.

"Thanks S-T, Durron," Janek exhaled. He turned around to see who his savoir was.

"Catra?!" Jesmin gasped after working the dented helmet off the thirteen year-old's head.

" _Su'cuy_ ," Catra coughed, clutching at her chest. "Okay, that thing packs a punch."

"Stay still," Doran knelt down next to her and used a hand to keep her prone. His seriousness surprised the others. "The impact smashed most of your ribs. If it wasn't for your armor, you'd be dead."

" _Su'cuy_ , godfather," Catra wheezed, coughing again, this time with blood coming up. "Just use some of that Jedi magic of yours and I'll be ready for round two."

"Jedi magic doesn't work like that," Doran said wryly. "Besides, weren't you supposed to wait for your parents' signal before starting round one?"

"It was going to eat Skywalker," Catra objected.

"He would have tasted bad," Doran bantered, but the others could really sense his worry. "He's all muscle-y and stringy."

"That muscle part is yummy though," Catra slurred, coughing once more.

"Sis, I'm going to need your help keeping her stable," Doran said tersely.

Jesmin was at his side in an instant. "Tell me what to do."

The Gorog howled in the background, letting them know that it still wanted to eat them. But it also seemed to not be able to see them. Janek looked around and saw Vekki, San're, and Naeli all in a meditative pose, creating a temporary Force-bubble around them to shield them from its view.

"How long can you keep that up?" Doran asked.

"Not long," Naeli shook her head, hands crunching into fists. "It's still a Vong creature so the best we can do is manipulate the air around us. Vekki's dealing with the photons, San're has the smell, and I'm blocking the sound."

"Nice," Ryza whistled. "Here, I'll give you guys a hand."

Meanwhile, Janek went over to the downed Mandalorian girl. "Catra, thanks. I owe you one."

"I'll collect later," the olive-skinned girl said with a weak smile, her eyes fluttering.

"Doran?"

"She's going into shock," Doran muttered. "Internal bleeding, a collapsed lung. The pressure of her armor is keeping everything where it's supposed to be and slowing the bleeding, but she needs a bacta tank."

Janek clenched his jaw and glanced towards the howling monstrosity. "Damn it."

"Don't blame yourself."

"I'm not," Janek hissed. He saw that Catra's jetpack had been removed so she could lie flat on her back. "Keep her stable, Doran. I have an idea."

"It better be better than my usual ideas," Doran said with a raised eyebrow.

"Probably worse," Janek quipped, leaning down to pick up the jetpack. He then summoned one of the fallen vibrospears. "But I'm not letting my friends get hurt by that thing."

"Janek," Jesmin looked to him sharply.

"See you in a bit, S-T," Janek gave her a two-fingered salute. Before she could say anything else, he activated the jetpack.

"Wait, S-T, what's he doing?" He heard Ryza yell in alarm.

Janek ignored her and flew out of the protective bubble of Force-energy. The Gorog immediately took note of him. Janek waved at it and gave it the cockiest grin he could muster. "Hey, sorry we got interrupted last time. I'm ready to be eaten now."

Its tongue shot out at him, but Janek was ready for it. As if things were occurring in slow-motion, he ascended just high enough to avoid it, and then cut his jetpack and held his vibrospear out. He managed to give the Gorog's tongue a nice piercing. Then time righted itself and he hung on to the vibrospear as the tongue retracted in a split-second. Retracted itself all the way into the Gorog's mouth, before the jaws snapped shut.

"Right, acid-spit," Janek cursed as its saliva dripped and burned his extended arm. He reactivated his jetpack to hover inside the cavernous maw of the creature, and used the Force to pull the vibrospear out of the tongue. It was then he had to wrinkle his nose as the very bad breath that continued to wash over him. "Oh come on, doesn't anyone brush your teeth? Give you a breath mint?"

More spit began to fill the creature's mouth, and he quickly decided that he should probably leave. He flew to the very back of the throat and saw the route to the nasal passage. He glanced downwards towards the bronchial and digestive tracks.

"Decisions, decisions," Janek muttered, pulling his shirt up to try and shield his nose from the very bad smell he had just discovered. He felt through his Force-bond with his friends, their desperate attempts to ascertain his status. He winced apologetically. He'd panic too if he just saw the Gorog swallow Jesmin or Ryza or any of the others. Trying to convince them that he was okay though was tough when he was still inside the creature.

Deciding he didn't have time to navigate the hundred or so meters of creature, he chose to head upwards. If he remembered Master Cilghal's lessons right, one way to get to the brain was through the nose. The light from his jetpack was just bright enough for him to see where he was going as he jetted up a passage that could have easily accommodated a speederbike. Using the Force to guide him, Janek navigated the near-darkness of the Gorog's cranial cavity. He knew he was close when he began to see the familiar gleaming material of Yuuzhan Vong surge-coral. He followed the growth, using his vibrospear to cut through various membranes in the way.

And then the color of the tissue surrounding him changed.

"Jackpot," Janek breathed out. Seeing what would probably pass as the creature's brain-stem, he waded through the swampy muck of cerebral fluid and took off his jetpack. "Sorry big guy, but I can't have you hurting anyone else."

He used his vibrospear to open up the jetpack and disable the safety regulators and control-valves. He then aimed the jetpack at the brain-stem and activated it. Like a missile, it shot out and smooshed itself into the squishy tissue. Janek didn't bother watching. The moment he set the jetpack free, he began running down the way he had come. With the safety cut-off disabled and control-valves destroyed, nothing was regulating the jetpack's small fusion core.

He was extremely grateful that he was in peak physical shape as he continued to run, his life very much depending on how far he could get from the blast. The last thing he wanted was to be crushed to death by a giant brain. That'd just be embarrassing. Janek could already see his epitaph: here lies Janek Skywalker, died proving that brains were better than brawns. He had just made it back down into the nasal passage when he heard the muted explosion. He yelled as he was lifted into the air by the Gorog's sudden change in position.

It was then another lesson came to mind. The bigger an opponent was, the bigger the boom when it fell. And the creature's head had over a hundred meters to fall. He grimaced as he was literally pasted to the top of the nasal passage, getting very familiar with the creature's boogers. There was nothing he could do but endure it the best he could. He knew the exact moment the creature hit the ground because he went from being stuck to the roof of its nose, to hurled down into a pool of boogers at the base.

"Eugh," Janek groaned, shaking off his free hand. He desperately hoped the Yuuzhan Vong shapers weren't sadistic enough to make the boogers virus-ridden or toxic. But then, he wouldn't past them. He stood and quickly realized that the very foul wind of the creature's breath was no longer washing over him. He also realized that the creature wasn't moving either. He blinked in shock. He couldn't believe it. He was alive and his plan had worked.

He laughed aloud and followed the nasal passage until he saw the bright light of its exit. He emerged victorious, grinning broadly.

"Hey guys, think I can mount this guy's head as a trophy in my quarters…" He trailed off. An army of Hutt Security personnel had surrounded the others and was holding them at blaster-point. Janek glared up at the sail-barges floating high in the sky. "Come on! We won!"

"Hutts are very poor losers," Ryza said from her knees, scowling at the guards behind her.

"I'm beginning to see that," Janek huffed. "Doran, how's Catra?"

"I have her in a medical coma for the moment," Doran said, shaking his head. "Nice work by the way."

"Thanks." Janek sank down to his knees with his fingers laced behind his head.

"You smell terrible," Jesmin wrinkled her nose.

"It's the smell of hard work."

"Or bantha droppings," Ryza quipped.

"Master Sarkin-Tainer, I thought you said an army of Mandos would come charging to your rescue," Vekki said nervously. "So far only Catra's showed up."

"Yeah, let them finish collecting their wagers," Doran waved her off. "Any chance to fleece the Hutts is a fun one."

"Between Ro'sha-whatever and this thing, we've probably bankrupted them," San're snorted.

" _Slayers of the Gorog, the Grand Hutt Council wishes to inform you that because you failed to die at its hands, you have all been scheduled for termination_."

"Poor losers," Ryza repeated, glared dourly at the sail-barges.

" _It is out of the generosity of the Grand Hutt Council that you may choose the method of your death. You can either have your head removed with a vibrosword, shot to death with metal slugs, or be thrown from a sail-barge into the arena._ "

"Yeah, I'll pass," Jesmin snorted, shaking her head.

"They don't really have much of an imagination, do they," San're said rhetorically.

" _However, if you choose to fight for the Grand Hutt Council from here-on out, your lives will be spared today and you will forever be known as the Slayers of the Gorog._ "

"I did all the work," Janek protested.

"Really, Skywalker?" Naeli looked to him in disbelief.

"What, I did," Janek said. "Out of all of us, which of us is covered in Gorog snot?"

"Can we focus on the fact that we're about to die…again," Vekki whimpered.

"We're not going to die," Doran said reassuringly. "Remember, I promised."

"Then where are your Mandalor…" San're fell silent as the sound of multiple weapons filled the suddenly very silent arena.

Every single one of the several dozen Hutt Security soldiers around them had been picked off. Hovering in the air was nearly twice that many Mandalorians, all with weapons drawn.

"There," Doran said casually, blindly gesturing above them.

After the attack registered in the minds of everyone, panic broke out. Angry Huttese began being broadcasted throughout the arena as the crowd began to flee in terror. More Hutt Security forces began swarming the bleachers as the armada of skiffs and sail-barges began combat maneuvers.

The Mandalorians were far from idle. As one, they streaked off in different directions, picking off targets of opportunity and sending more than one skiff crashing down in flames. The sail-barges began a hasty retreat, but the Mandalorians targeted their repulsors with their jetpack missiles.

Blasterbolts, plasma projectiles, metal slugs, rockets and darts, all filled the air above the arena as the Mandalorians dueled it out with the finest mercenaries in the Grand Council's employ.

Doran, who had refocused on Catra, turned his blind eyes back up to the sky. "Sis."

"Doran?"

"You wouldn't happen to see Gedyc up there would you?"

"They're all too far up to get a good look," Jesmin shook her head. "Besides, Tracyn said she and her people couldn't get involved without making the bad Mandalorians look suspicious."

"Never stopped her before," Doran shrugged, still gazing sightlessly at the sky. "On the bright side, I think my vision is slowly getting better. Instead of a big dark blur, all I see is a big white blur."

"It's probably the sun-lights. You're missing one heck of a fight," Janek walked over to them and knelt down next to Catra. He used his own Force abilities to get a read on her, and didn't like what he saw. "Damn, first time I'm grateful these crazy nuts consider wearing armor a part of their culture."

"Incoming Mandos!" Ryza announced.

Jesmin glanced up, and then her jaw dropped. "Mando Ewok-sighting confirmed."

"Good, I haven't gone completely crazy yet."

Janek watched as four Mandalorians approached them, three of them flanking the very short Mandalorian in black armor. "I thought you couldn't get involved."

"Not for personal reasons. We're claiming this sector for the One Sith," Tracyn answered simply, removing her helmet.

"Of course you are," Janek nodded as if it made perfect sense.

"Long time no see, Gedyc," Doran remarked with almost cold indifference.

"You could have called," Tracyn said, folding her arms in front of herself.

"Didn't see a reason to."

"Going to be like that?"

"Don't see a reason why not."

"My people did just save your lives."

"Before or after Dinua threatened to make you the shortest reigning _Kyr'tsad_ Empress ever? And I mean 'shortest' in both ways."

"After."

"Figures. If it doesn't help your cause, it's not worth the effort, right?"

"Whatever the reason, we're here."

Jesmin's eyes darted back and forth between the two. "Errr…am I missing something. You always told me that Tracyn was one of your closest friends back on Gargon."

"Was. And yes, you're missing something," Doran replied back in a way that made it obvious the topic was closed. "And no, I'm not telling that story. The Tracyn I told you about is the one I want to remember. Not the human being…no, that's too kind…not the person she ended up becoming. Surprised to see you with her, Dinua, Jintar, Ram."

"My Clan wouldn't bow to the new _Mand'alor_ , were executed almost to the last because of that," Ram said emotionlessly.

"And for us, the alternative was joining up with the _dar'jetti_ ," Dinua said stiffly. "Jintar and I weren't going to let our children be raised with their ideals. At least with Gedyc they have some sense of normalcy."

"Whatever that is these days," Jintar inclined his head. "Catra going to be okay?"

"We need to get her to a bacta tank. The sooner the better."

"I have one on my ship," Tracyn said woodenly, the change in her demeanor couldn't be more obvious.

"I'll leave with N-Eight and the others," Doran said in turn. "I hear Bespin is nice this time of year."

"Doran," Jesmin said softly.

"Jesmin?"

"I…Ryza's brothers are being held on Mandalore. We could really use Kyrelle and yours help freeing them."

"They were brought all the way from Ossus to Mandalore?" Doran said slowly, pinning Tracyn with a dark look. "You really are a piece of work, Gedyc."

"Like you said, anything for the cause."

"Doran, what's going on, really?" Jesmin said, bewildered. "I mean, you made it sound like you and Tracyn were much more than best friends in your story. Now it feels like you're on the verge of snapping her neck with the Force."

"We _were_ _aliit_ once," Doran allowed. His voice turned bitter. "That's probably the only thing keeping me on that verge. Gedyc, why don't you tell them _why_ Durron's brothers were moved to Mandalore? Or why you just happened to be in the same escape route my sister was using on Ossus? She told me the whole story on the skiff ride over. You're doing the exact same thing you did to me. Only difference is, I'm not a naïve kid anymore."

"We can talk later," Tracyn said imperiously, two sail-barges going down in flames above them. "And I don't care what you think, Jedi Master Sarkin-Tainer, I'm still a person of my word."

"When it suits you," Doran shook his head. He kept his hand over Catra to keep her stabilized. "Three times, Gedyc. Three times I put my neck out for you, trusted you. The first time I was just a kid on Gargon, thought you were actually my friend. Still thought that when I came back after the Vong War to help your people rebuild. And despite the fact that I lost a friend each time I helped you, I came back a _third_ time because I was stupidly thinking it was all just a terrible coincidence. That you weren't actually the manipulative _schutta_ everyone else said you were. What happened? I lost another friend and nearly lost Kyrelle. Once might have been a tragedy, twice bad luck, but three times…You had to have known I'd find out the truth eventually."

"Your apprentice lived. The others? They died for the good of the Mandalorian people, for the Mandalorian Empire reborn, and their lives will be remembered."

"There's the real Tracyn Gedyc," Doran said with a harsh laugh, shaking his head. "How I ever thought you were actually on my side is beyond me. I'll go with you guys, if only to keep my sister from making the same mistakes I did."

"Whatever the reason, you're welcome to come along," Tracyn said evenly. "I'll see you aboard my ship, the _Mesh'la Kote._ "

" _Kote lo'shebs'ul narit_ ," Doran muttered under his breath as Tracyn jetpacked away to join the fight. He made a gesture and levitated Catra's unconscious form. Looking to Jintar, Dinua, and Ram, he motioned to the sky. "It won't be safe to jetpack her up, so if you can get a shuttle down here, that'd be great."

"I'll call for one," Ram acknowledged, stepping away.

"Well, the team's back together," Jintar said in a weak attempt at humor. "It'll be just like old times."

"Only we're going up against crazy people with red lightsabers and crazier people who think that what they're doing is for the best."

" _K'atini_ ," Dinua remarked, her smile audible behind her helmet. She stepped forward and clasped his arm with a gauntleted hand. She then pulled him into a tight hug before stepping back and holding both his shoulders. "It's good to see you alive, _Di'kut_. When you left with those _dar'Jetti_ …I didn't expect to see you or Kyrelle again."

"Good to see you too, Dinua. Your daughter takes after you."

"Same poor choice in men too," Dinua quipped.

"Hey!" Jintar protested.

"She meant poor choice for a first crush," Doran clarified. "I'm sure her next love will be some strong, tall, ugly guy like you."

"That is completely what I meant," Dinua lightly nudged her husband.

"Sure," Jintar chuckled. "Really, Doran, it's good to have you back."

"You being careful with Tracyn?"

"Already caught her giving Catra the 'a Mandalorian Empire is the future' spiel," Jintar shrugged. "But our daughter has Dinua's brains too. Only thing she got from me was a sense of humor."

"Situation on your homeworld so bad you had to run to her?"

"Yeah," Jintar said gravely. "And no offense, _ner vod_ , but I think that any attempt to take it is going to get you and the other Jedi kids killed."

"Probably best that I'm coming along then," Doran sighed and hung his head. "Damn it, I swore I'd never go back to that planet and it's screwed up politics."

"That's the downside to having an army of highly-trained commandos come to your rescue I guess," Janek interrupted hesitantly. "Sorry to cut in, but I think we really need to go. I'm sensing impending danger of the massive sort heading our way."

"I am too," Ryza said grimly. Her words were punctuated by a turbolaser bolt slamming down into the side of the arena. "And we're right."

The shuttle Ram called for weaved its way around several more turbolaser bolts and the rear hatch opened up.

"Come on, Doran!" Nate yelled out. "Your crazy apprentice can't keep us in the air forever."

The group hurried into the shuttle as fast as they could safely bring Catra. As they did, the turbolaser bombardment intensified.

"All aboard!" Nate called to the cockpit.

"Doran, wait, I thought you were blind!" Jesmin said suddenly as she strapped herself in.

"Still am, vision's nothing more than a field of white or black."

"Then Kyrelle's sight can't have returned either!"

"Spirit Girl is fine," Doran waved her off. "Remember, she can astral-project and control her body remotely."

"Oh, right."

The shuttle took off out of the arena, veering sharply to avoid even more turbolasers. Once it cleared the almost non-existent atmosphere, the source of the turbolasers became clear. The Hutts had called in their own fleet, and it was currently squaring off against three shiny Mandalorian cruisers and their support ships.

"Jesmin, do me a favor. The next time you want to rescue me, don't," Doran rubbed at his face as the deaths from the battle cascaded through the Force. "The One Sith wouldn't have given a damn about this sector if you hadn't directed their attention to it. And what's worse is that they won't be the only ones fighting over Hutt Space."

"You're welcome," Jesmin said, slightly hurt. "What do you mean they won't be the only ones?"

"Kyrelle and I came here to warn the Hutts that the Sith were coming here. We didn't mean the One Sith," Doran answered. "But we can't worry about that now. I guess the next thing up on our agenda is getting Durron's kid brothers out of Mandalore without dying."

The others, Ryza especially, agreed wholeheartedly.

 **LotJB[IV]LotJB**

"They're still at it?" Janek asked softly at the raised voices coming out of the room containing Jesmin and Doran. He was freshly showered, having spent the better part of a half-hour furiously scrubbing himself to make sure he had cleaned off all the Gorog snot that had coated him.

"Yeah," Ryza accepted the drink from Janek. "They are definitely related."

" _Damn it, Jesmin! This isn't like one of my stories! Going to Mandalore isn't going to be some fun adventure. You weren't around during the Vong War, were too young for the Killik War! People are dying by the hundreds, thousands, every day now! You can't just go run off to a planet full of Mandalorians backed by dark Jedi without anything less than a full battle-fleet and battalion of Jedi of your own."_

" _Don't patronize me,_ _ **brother**_ _. You don't think I know a war is going on? I saw that guy who calls himself Mandalore kill Master Solusar in cold blood! He just put a pistol to her head and fired! I was_ _ **at**_ _Ossus when the Mandalorians burned it to the ground."_

" _Then you know what they're capable of! You still don't get it, do you? Empress Gedyc already knew who you were before she met you. She was the one who had Durron's brothers moved to Mandalore. There are other Jedi younglings on the planet yes, but reach out with your senses. Durron's brothers are the only ones from Ossus there!_ _ **Why**_ _do you think that is? How did her people just happen to be in the way of your escape and why did she risk so much to get you off planet?_ _I know dad's taught you to blow things up, fire a bazillion types of weapons and pilot practically anything with an engine, but_ _ **think**_ **.** _Thinking is not exactly his strength, but there's some of mom in you as well."_

" _Don't bad mouth dad like that! He's a great father, funny and smart. And if mom is so great, where was she when all the other Jedi were being wiped out? Oh wait, she's an anti-social loner who's just strong in the Force to cause trouble so she stays on the edges of the galaxy."_

"Sometimes I forget that even though they're brother and sister, they're over a decade apart and barely see each other," Ryza muttered, wincing as the attacks grew more personal.

Janek sighed. "We don't have time for this."

"It _is_ a family thing though," Ryza held out an arm as he reached for the door control.

"Yeah, well, I'm a Jedi, they're Jedi. So I'm part of the same, very big family," Janek pounded the door control and entered the room.

"I'm only saying that marching on Mandalore is suicide! Even more so if you're just an expendable pawn for the ones you consider allies!"

"Okay, enough!" Janek yelled, using the Force in his voice to make himself heard and noticed. It was then he saw Doran's apprentice curled up on a nearby couch with a bowl of popcorn. "Really?"

"They _were_ starting to get repetitive," Kyrelle Frieneil shrugged, setting aside her bowl. "Kid's right, Doran. Enough."

Doran shot Kyrelle a glare while Jesmin did the same to Janek. "Stay out of this!"

"Well, at least they're not yelling at each other anymore," Kyrelle said glibly. Her tone changed as she addressed the younger Sarkin-Tainer. "Jesmin, your brother has just been through hell and back. Worse, his childhood best-friend and the woman I saw as my older sister, died while we were stuck in carbonite. We had always promised to be there if she needed us and the one time she does, we were trying to save the useless slugs from a fate worse than death and we ended up frozen."

"Thank you, Spirit…"

"And Master," Kyrelle rounded on her mentor/best friend/boyfriend, poking him in the chest with a finger. "Taking your frustration and grief out on your sister is not going to get us anywhere. She's not built like you are. Her entire life was just flipped upside down and most of her mentors and friends are either dead or captured. But go ahead, kick the baby Ewok, keep piling onto that guilt and grief."

Both Jesmin and Doran's mouths snapped shut as they looked to Kyrelle in shock. Kyrelle, meanwhile just winked over at Janek. "I've been traveling with this big lug here for over a decade now. You kind of learn how to handle a _dikutla_ Sarkin-Tainer or two."

"Please teach me," Janek breathed out.

"Down boy," Ryza punched him on the arm. "Doran, was what you said about my brothers true? Did Empress Gedyc deliberately have them brought to Mandalore so she could enlist the help of Jedi?"

Doran recovered slowly, looking away from his sister. "You saw her army and tech. She has enough resources to launch an attack on Mandalore right now and probably win. It's the One Sith presence that's keeping her from doing so. So what better way to enlist a Jedi's help than to give them something to fight for, a common goal?"

"Okay, here's what I don't get," Janek spoke. "On the shuttle ride over here, Jes was telling me and the others about Tracyn Gedyc. Made her seem like this kind, loving, Mandalorian who only wanted what was best for her people and her friends."

"Tracyn Gedyc doesn't have friends," Doran said bitterly, shaking his head. "And she's far from kind and loving. Everything she does though is for her warped idea of a united Mandalorian Empire. _Everything_. Durron, she could care less if your brothers are getting tortured or turned to the dark side. Could care less that the One Sith just blasted apart the lives of kids younger than you and Skywalker, kidnapped those kids, and brought them to a planet devoid of common sense. The only thing she cares about is that because there are Jedi on Mandalore, some gullible Jedi will see her as a benevolent ally and team up to take down the One Sith on Mandalore."

Jesmin blinked at her brother, her head tilting to the side. "You don't really believe that."

"You're an expert on what I believe now?"

"In addition to shooting and piloting, dad also taught me psychology. You chose to tell the stories of Tracyn the way you did because deep down you know she's not as evil as you've convinced yourself she is," Jesmin countered calmly. "A part of you still hopes that she'll prove you wrong. That you're being…what does Dinua call you nowadays…right, an _ori'dikut_. Tracyn didn't have to go out of her way to pick up Janek and Ryza when I begged her to. In fact, she could have spared herself a lot of trouble and explanations for doing so. Did you know that Belok summoned her right after we got to the Mandalore System? That the One Sith in charge of Mandalore executed an entire squad of her people to send her a message. And don't think I don't recognize the aftereffects of Sith Lightning on the central nervous system…she had to deal with that too."

Doran smiled darkly, shaking his head again. "Gedyc _always_ has a plan, a skifter up her sleeve. I'll bet you a hundred credits to one that the squad that was killed had troublemakers or people she didn't trust in it. Sure it might have had a few diehards who'd die for her at her orders, but it was another way for her to get rid of unnecessary baggage."

"You'd lose that bet," Tracyn's even voice came from the doorway, surprising all the Jedi since they hadn't even felt her arrive.

"What?" Doran looked to her.

"The squad that died, it was made up entirely of people who pledged their lives to me," Tracyn explained without a hint of emotion. "They knew that they were going to be killed when they came with me and yet came anyways. They knew the cause they were a part of was far greater than their lives and died for _Manda'yaim_ and the _Mando'ade_ Empire Reborn. They died so Jedi might live."

An awkward silence filled the room as Tracyn entered and took a seat on the couch Kyrelle had vacated.

"Empress Gedyc," Ryza finally said once the silence had stretched on much too long. "Was what Doran said true? Did you really have my brothers brought to Mandalore so that Jedi would help you take down the current government on the planet?"

Tracyn looked to the young teen and inclined her head once. "I might have suggested that the children of Master Durron would be better kept on _Manda'yaim_ so that even the reckless Kyp Durron wouldn't dare try to steal them back."

"And you knew that I was taking that path as an escape route from the Praxeum?" Jesmin swallowed, eyes wide.

"I knew you were on Ossus and that if any Jedi managed to escape Belok's web, it'd be the sister of Doran Sarkin-Tainer," Tracyn again said truthfully, her face expressionless as she held Jesmin's gaze with off-colored eyes. "But does that truly matter? You Jedi and the government you represent don't want the One Sith in control of _Manda'yaim_ any more than I do. Think of it as added incentive to help _Manda'yaim_ rid itself of the One Sith and their puppets over the many hundreds of worlds out there that _don't_ have captive Jedi children on them."

"But the stories Doran told me…" Jesmin whispered, taking an involuntary step back. She shook her head, as if trying to convince herself of something. "The Tracyn Gedyc in them would never stab her _aliit_ in the back, would never use them for her own means."

"That Tracyn Gedyc had to grow up quick," the political leader of the _Kyr'tsad_ said unapologetically. "It's one thing to have dreams. It's another to find out that reality won't accommodate those dreams unless you're truly willing to do what has to be done to achieve them."

"Were _any_ of his stories true?" Jesmin pressed, looking as if she had just learned Life Day had been canceled.

"Given that I have no idea what his stories made me out to be, you'll have to be more specific."

"In his stories you were kind, tough, fiercely protective of those you called _aliit_ , _vod._ You were passionate about your dreams, willing to help out your friends and risk your own life because they helped you too. In his stories, even though he was interested in Dinua at that time, he always made it seem like you and he had something special too."

Tracyn looked away, her composure failing for a split second before recovering. "That was in the past, Jesmin. I was only a couple years older than you then, he a couple years younger. Three giant pan-galactic wars have taken place since then."

"Enough, Jes," Doran said tiredly. "It's only because I respect that past that she's so willing to dismiss that I'm not telling you the full story. Let's just focus on the present and hope we're still around for the future."

"Thank you," Tracyn's voice was barely a whisper as she and Doran made eye-contact for a brief moment before looking away.

"Right, the present," Kyrelle took over with forced enthusiasm and a broad grin. "How to overthrow a planet full of super-powered crazies in three easy steps..."

"This I got to hear," Janek said with the same over-exaggerated eagerness Kyrelle was projecting. Given that Ryza appeared lost in thought, Jesmin had become a stunned mute, and Tracyn and Doran seemed to want to be as far away from the other as possible, the youngest Skywalker figured it'd be up to him and Kyrelle to stay as drama free as possible…for the sake everyone's sanity.

Kyrelle inclined her head a fraction of a centimeter in his direction, glancing worriedly to her master before continuing. "Okay, Skywalker. Here's what we're going to do. Step One, we get an army of crazies of our own."

"Does this keert-sad group Tracyn has command over count?"

" _Kyr'tsad_ ," Tracyn involuntarily corrected. "And please don't try to speak _Mando'a_ ever again, Skywalker."

"Yes, they count," Kyrelle chuckled. "I think…Master, do you think they can out-crazy the crazies on the planet above us?"

" _Kyr'tsad_? Without a doubt."

"Great, we're off to a good start. Step Two, we use that crazy army in an insane way that no one in their right mind would think of."

"How does that work?"

"Well…this Belok guy sounds like a smart guy. He probably knows Tracyn is plotting against him and has all sorts of guns aimed at this moon and other contingency plans in place."

"More than likely," Tracyn allowed.

Janek gestured to the planet. "So we do something he least expects."

"How?" Ryza frowned, getting into things. "The guys on that planet think they're _right_. They're armed and armored, and think hurting kids is a good thing. How much more insane can you be?"

"We call Belok and tell him we're invading," Jesmin spoke up just as Doran opened his mouth to say that exact thing. Both siblings looked at each other in surprise.

"Go on," Kyrelle encouraged, winking at Janek.

"Belok is probably expecting something underhanded," Jesmin said after Doran gestured for her to go ahead. "Commando teams, infiltration units at key infrastructure, maybe even an attempted freeing of the captive younglings."

"And they're geared for a full-out attack too," Kyrelle pointed out.

"Errr…right," Jesmin looked over to her brother. "Ideas?"

"It'd be suicide for us to fight on their home turf," Doran said evenly.

"So we get them to come to us," Tracyn blinked in understanding.

"I noticed you designed this base deep underground," Doran pointed to the rocky walls. "Can it withstand an orbital bombardment by your new Mando cruisers?"

"It should…but it's never been tested for obvious reasons," Tracyn said with a wry smile, showing the first hint of emotion since the crater.

"Not even Mandos are crazy enough to bombard their own base to test its defenses, huh?" Doran quipped, likewise allowing a small smile.

"If you remember, Hairless Baby Wookie One, you were the craziest out of all of us."

Silently, Janek and Kyrelle exchanged low-fives.

As if realizing they were talking civilly to each other, both Doran and Tracyn immediately stiffened and looked away. Janek and Kyrelle rolled their eyes in aggravation.

"So we bring them here," Ryza took over. "But if the battle starts going bad for them, they might hurt the younglings. A 'take-them-down-with-us' approach. Dark Jedi are supposed to be very sore losers, worse than the Hutts. And there's no way I'm risking my brothers like that."

"While we're fighting it out up here, you and the rest of your friends are going to Mandalore and spring those kids," Doran explained.

Jesmin immediately turned to her brother. " _'You and the rest of your friends'_? What about you?"

"The One Sith will be sending their best fighters to cut through…Gedyc's elite," Doran said. "Kyrelle and I will be needed here so you and your friends have a safe place to come back too."

"If you get yourselves captured again, you are so freeing yourselves this time," Jesmin glared.

"Yes, yes, little sister. I already thanked you for the rescue. What do you want, a notarized proof of gratefulness?"

"We're really doing this then?" Janek felt a knot in his stomach form, realizing that while his and Kyrelle's distraction may have been to help lower tensions, the actual content of their conversation was all about taking on a very scary army of bad guys. "We're going to Mandalore, rescue a bunch of kids, and then help the empress here take over her homeworld?"

Kyrelle chuckled softly. "Well, Skywalker. It looks like you already knew what Step Three was."

Janek smiled weakly. "Great."

 **LotJB[Chapter End]LotJB**

 **A\N:** Hope you all enjoyed this one...aiming to get a chapter (Side A) out in February, but it all depends on how much more of the story I've written.


End file.
